house-sit

English

Alternative forms

• housesit, house sit

Etymology

From house +‎ sit, formed by analogy to babysit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaʊsˌsɪt/

Verb

house-sit (third-person singular simple present house-sits, present participle house-sitting, simple past and past participle house-sat or (uncommon) house-sitted)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To live temporarily in someone else's home, or to attend it regularly, for the purpose of protecting and tending to it in the owner's or tenant's absence.

   I'm house-sitting for my friends while they're on vacation in France.

   • 2021, Cherry Radford, The Spanish House, Aria, →ISBN:

     I’m house-sitting my uncle’s place in San Rafael for a few months.

Anagrams

• housties, southies