caretaker

/ˈkeəteɪkə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkerteɪkər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈker-ˌtā-kər/ (ame, mw)

caretaker — 名詞

  • caretakersingular
  • caretakersplural

1. a person whose job is to look after a large building such as a school, hospital,

1.名詞B1
釋義

管理員

負責大樓清潔與基本維修的人

a person whose job is to look after a large building such as a school, hospital, or apartment block, doing cleaning, minor repairs, and other daily tasks to keep the building running smoothly.

例句

The school caretaker unlocked the gymnasium doors every morning at six o'clock.

學校的管理員每天早上六點打開體育館的門。

the school caretaker — role at a specific institution

Simone asked the caretaker to fix the broken window in the science lab before the next class.

Simone 請管理員修理科學教室裡破掉的窗戶。

asked the caretaker to fix — typical request to a caretaker

同義詞
  • janitor

    more common in American English; focuses on cleaning rather than overall maintenance

  • custodian

    similar to janitor but slightly more formal; often used for schools in the US

  • superintendent

    used for apartment buildings; involves more management duties

文法句型

the caretaker

a caretaker

caretaker + of + building

用法筆記

In British English this sense is very common; in American English the word 'janitor' or 'custodian' is more frequent for the same role.

常見錯誤

❌The caretaker of my apartment building lives on the top floor.
✅The building manager of my apartment building lives on the top floor.
💡'caretaker' for a large apartment block is British; in the US, 'building manager' or 'superintendent' is preferred.

2. a person who looks after a family member or friend who is ill, elderly, or has a

2.名詞B1
釋義

照護者

照顧生病或年邁家人的人

a person who looks after a family member or friend who is ill, elderly, or has a disability, usually without formal training and often living in the same home.

例句

Since her mother's stroke, Lucia has been the family's primary caretaker, handling meals and medication.

自從母親中風之後，Lucia 就成為家裡的主要照護者，負責打理三餐和用藥。

primary caretaker — the main person responsible for care

The hospital offers free support groups for caretakers of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

這間醫院為阿茲海默症患者的照護者提供免費的支持團體。

caretakers of patients with [condition]

同義詞
  • caregiver

    preferred term in American healthcare; more formal and professional

  • carer

    standard term in British English for someone caring for a relative

  • attendant

    usually implies paid help, not a family member

文法句型

caretaker + of + person

primary caretaker

full-time caretaker

用法筆記

Increasingly replaced by 'caregiver' (especially in US English) and 'carer' (in UK English) in healthcare contexts, though 'caretaker' is still widely used in everyday speech.

常見錯誤

❌She is a caretaker at the local nursing home.
✅She is a care worker at the local nursing home.
💡'caretaker' usually refers to unpaid family care; paid staff are 'care workers', 'care assistants', or 'nurses'.

3. a person who stays in and looks after a house, farm, or piece of land while the

3.名詞B2
釋義

代管人

屋主外出期間代為看管房產的人

a person who stays in and looks after a house, farm, or piece of land while the owner is away, often living on the property during that time.

例句

We hired a caretaker to water the garden and feed our two cats while we spent the summer in Japan.

我們僱了一位代管人，請他在我們去日本度過整個夏天時幫忙澆花和餵兩隻貓。

hired a caretaker to [specific tasks] — typical arrangement

The remote mountain cabin comes with a resident caretaker who keeps the road clear during winter.

這間偏遠的山間小屋附有一位長駐代管人，冬天時他會負責清理路上的積雪。

resident caretaker — a caretaker living on site

同義詞
  • house sitter

    less formal; usually only involves living in the house, not maintaining land

  • custodian

    more formal; often used for estates or historic properties

文法句型

caretaker + of + property

resident caretaker

act as caretaker

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: a property caretaker looks after a private home or land temporarily while the owner is absent, rather than being a permanent employee of a large institution.

4. a person or group that temporarily performs the duties of an important position

4.名詞B2
釋義

看守；臨時

暫時代理職務的人或單位

a person or group that temporarily performs the duties of an important position or office until a permanent replacement is chosen, with the goal of maintaining stability during the transition.

例句

After the prime minister resigned, a caretaker government was formed to run the country until the election.

總理辭職後，由看守政府負責治理國家直到大選舉行。

caretaker government — political sense, temporary administration

Professor Anders agreed to serve as caretaker dean while the university searched for a permanent candidate.

Anders 教授同意擔任臨時院長，同時校方也在尋找正式的接任人選。

serve as caretaker [role] — temporary appointment to a leadership role

同義詞
  • interim

    the most common synonym; 'interim manager' is more widely used than 'caretaker manager' in business

  • acting

    suggests the person is already a member of the organization filling in temporarily

  • provisional

    more formal; often used for temporary political bodies or arrangements

反義詞
  • permanent

    a permanent official has the role on an ongoing basis, unlike a caretaker

文法句型

caretaker + government/manager/director

caretaker role

caretaker period

用法筆記

This sense is almost always used attributively before a noun (caretaker government, caretaker manager, caretaker committee) rather than as a standalone noun (*'He is a caretaker' for this sense is rare).

常見錯誤

❌She became the caretaker of the company.
✅She became the interim manager of the company.
💡without a following noun like 'government' or 'manager', the meaning is unclear.