cares

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of care.

   Nobody on the committee really cares whether the proposal passes.

   The new manager cares more about results than about appearances.

   Note

   The -s form that a singular subject requires: someone cares about a result, cares whether a plan passes, or cares for a sick relative. In questions and negatives the ending moves onto does, and the verb returns to plain care (Does she care? He doesn't care). The same spelling also serves the plural noun, so the surrounding sentence has to show which one is meant.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of care.

   The daily cares of a young parent leave little room for sleep.

   A long walk by the river helped her forget the cares of the past week.

   Note

   Only some meanings of the noun take a plural. Worries and the things that weigh on a person can be counted, as in the cares of the world or the cares of a long week. Care as upkeep, as professional treatment, or as the state of being looked after stays uncountable. So cares almost always means burdens or anxieties, and never several acts of nursing.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2