Care for means to look after someone (a patient, a child, an animal), and in the negative, not care for means not to like something. The first meaning is close to look after, especially about people who are ill or elderly. The second sounds restrained and a little formal: I don't care for jazz.
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care for + person/animal (look after); not care for + noun (not like); Would you care for + noun? (polite offer)
- After her operation, my aunt needed someone to care for her at home.
- Our neighbours cared for our cat while we were travelling in Italy.
- I don't really care for meetings that could have been an email.
What changed
First versionMy sister works as a nurse and cares about elderly patients at night.
RevisionMy sister works as a nurse and cares for elderly patients at night.
Care about changes the meaning here: it means to worry about someone or feel they matter, which is a feeling, not a job. The two are easy to mix up because both are about caring. A nurse looks after patients, so care for is needed.
The polite Would you care for a coffee? means 'Would you like a coffee?' and sounds formal, like something a waiter says or you hear at a business meeting. In everyday conversation, Would you like a coffee? is simpler.
Your turn
While her father was recovering from surgery, Kate stayed at home to ___ him.
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care for — Kate stayed at home to look after her father after the operation. That is care for. Care about means to worry about him, and you don't need to stay at home for that.
Write about a time when you looked after someone: a relative, a friend or a pet. Say who it was and for how long.
When my grandfather broke his leg, I cared for him for three weeks and cooked all his meals.
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