CARETAKER

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

I. (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A custodian who is hired to take care of something (property or a person)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("caretaker" is a kind of...):

custodian; keeper; steward (one having charge of buildings or grounds or animals)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "caretaker"):

concierge (a French caretaker of apartments or a hotel; lives on the premises and oversees people entering and leaving and handles mail and acts as janitor or porter)

sacristan; sexton (an officer of the church who is in charge of sacred objects)

super; superintendent (a caretaker for an apartment house; represents the owner as janitor and rent collector)

verger (a church officer who takes care of the interior of the building and acts as an attendant (carries the verge) during ceremonies)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An official who performs the duties of an office temporarily

Example:

he acted as a caretaker until a new president could be elected