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take care of

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take care of someone

 

1. to tip someone. I took care of the doorman as we left. Did you remember to take care of the waiter?

2. Euph. to kill or dispose of someone. Max said he was going to take care of Lefty once and for all. The crime king ordered Max to take care of a certain private detective.

See also: care, of, take

take care of someone or something

to oversee and protect someone or something; to care for someone or something. Please take care of my child while I am away. I will take care of everything for you.

See also: care, of, take

take care of something

to deal with something; to handle or manage a problem or detail. Would you please take care of this little problem? This is an easy thing to take care of. I will fix it immediately.

See also: care, of, take

take care of somebody/something

1. to be responsible for someone or something Our parents spent a lot of time taking care of us when we were young. My mother-in-law fell and could not take care of herself anymore. My wife takes care of paying the bills.

2. to deal with a difficult situation or person I was forced to take care of all the financial reports, lawyers, and contracts. The principal usually takes care of students who won't follow the rules.

Related vocabulary: look after somebody/something

See also: care, of, take

take care of

1. Attend to, assume responsibility for, as in Go ahead to the movies, I'll take care of parking the car, or They've hired someone to take care of the children for a week. [Late 1500s]

2. Beat up or kill someone, as in If he didn't pay up they threatened to take care of him and his family. [Slang; c. 1930]

See also: care, of, take

take care of

To assume responsibility for the maintenance, support, or treatment of.

See also: care, of, take