# caution

Pronunciation: say "KAW-shuhn" US /ˈkɔʃ(ə)n/, UK /ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n/

## Noun

1. Prudence in the face of danger, actual or expected; care taken in order to avoid risk or harm.
   - Simple: Care you take to stay safe when something could be dangerous.
   - _Hikers should exercise caution near the cliff edge after heavy rain._
   - _The crew approached the damaged power line with extreme caution._
2. Careful attention to the probable consequences of an action, exercised so that failure or harm can be avoided.
   - Simple: Thinking carefully about what might happen before you act, so nothing goes wrong.
   - _The board's caution about expanding too quickly kept the company solvent through the downturn._
   - _He weighed the offer with caution, asking what hidden costs it might carry._
4. A formal warning, typically issued by police, given as an alternative to prosecution in minor cases.
   - Simple: A formal warning from the police instead of being taken to court for a small crime.
   - _Officers issued the teenager a caution rather than pursuing charges._
   - _First-time offenders caught shoplifting may receive a caution and be sent on their way._
5. In soccer, an official yellow card shown by the referee to a player as a formal warning for misconduct.
   - Simple: In soccer, a yellow card that the referee shows a player for breaking a rule.
   - _The midfielder picked up a caution for a late tackle in the first half._
   - _Two cautions in the same match result in a sending-off._
7. Security or a guaranty given to ensure that an obligation will be fulfilled, such as bail.
   - Simple: Money or a promise that protects someone if a person does not do what they agreed to do.
   - _The court required the executor to find caution before administering the estate._
   - _He was released after his neighbor lodged caution for his appearance at trial._

## Verb

3. To warn or alert someone, advising them that care or vigilance is warranted.
   - Simple: To warn someone that something could be dangerous or could go wrong.
   - _Forecasters caution residents to avoid travel during the ice storm._
   - _The label cautions users against operating heavy machinery after taking the medication._
6. In soccer, to show a player a yellow card as a formal disciplinary warning.
   - Simple: In soccer, to show a player a yellow card for breaking a rule.
   - _The official cautioned both captains after the scuffle near the bench._
   - _Referees may caution a player for removing their shirt during a goal celebration._

## Noun

8. A person who attracts attention or causes astonishment by their behavior. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A person who surprises or amuses people by acting in an unusual or bold way.
   - _The old fellow was a caution, forever turning up at funerals in a red vest._
   - _Aunt May was a caution in her day, racing the boys' horses and winning more often than not._

## Origin

Recorded since 1297 as Middle English caucioun ("bail, guarantee, pledge"), it came from Old French caution ("security, surety"), which itself came from Latin cautiō, from cautus, the past participle of caveō, cavēre ("be on one's guard").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/caution (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).