caution
Americannoun
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alertness and prudence in a hazardous situation; care; wariness.
Landslides ahead—proceed with caution.
- Synonyms:
- vigilance, heed, watchfulness, discretion, circumspection
- Antonyms:
- carelessness
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a warning against danger or evil; anything serving as a warning.
By way of caution, he told me the difficulties I would face.
- Synonyms:
- counsel, advice, admonition
-
Informal. a person or thing that astonishes or causes mild apprehension.
She's a caution. The way he challenges your remarks is a caution.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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care, forethought, or prudence, esp in the face of danger; wariness
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something intended or serving as a warning; admonition
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law a formal warning given to a person suspected or accused of an offence that his words will be taken down and may be used in evidence
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a notice entered on the register of title to land that prevents a proprietor from disposing of his or her land without a notice to the person who entered the caution
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informal an amusing or surprising person or thing
she's a real caution
verb
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(tr) to urge or warn (a person) to be careful
-
(tr) law to give a caution to (a person)
-
(intr) to warn, urge, or advise
he cautioned against optimism
Synonym Usage
See warn.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overcautionnoun
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well-cautionedadjective
-
supercautionnoun
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recautionverb (used with object)
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uncautionedadjective
-
cautionernoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has cautionedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have cautionedperfect
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are cautioningprogressive
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am cautioningprogressive 1st person singular
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cautionssingular 3rd person
-
cautioningparticiple
-
is cautioningprogressive 3rd person singular
-
have been cautioningperfect progressive
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has been cautioningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had cautionedperfect
-
were cautioningprogressive plural
-
was cautioningprogressive singular
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cautionedparticiple
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cautionedsimple
-
had been cautioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of caution
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English caucion, from Latin cautiōn-, stem of cautiō “a taking care,” from caut(us) “taken care” (past participle of cavēre “to take care”) + -iō -ion; cf. caveat
Explanation
If you act with caution, it means you are careful. Be sure to use caution when walking across a patch of ice. Otherwise, you might end up sprawling face-first on the ground. Ouch! The noun caution can be used to describe something that calls for careful action and the need to avoid risk, such as a volatile political situation that requires extreme caution. The word also has a verb form with a similar meaning. It’s a more formal way of saying “warn” and usually appears with against or that, as in, "Teachers caution against waiting until the last minute to study," or, "They caution that effective studying takes a long time."
Vocabulary lists containing caution
"Fears and Phobias," Vocabulary from the article
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 5
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Here’s a note of caution: Multiple times in the past two months, a breakthrough seemed imminent but the two sides didn’t cross the finish line,” said Pavel Molchanov, investment-strategy analyst at Raymond James.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026
It said prescriptions of testosterone and oestrogen should only be offered to young people from around the age of 16 with "extreme caution" after being signed off by a national team of specialists.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
Scientists caution that every El Nino is different and strong events like that forecast this year do not guarantee certain impacts -- but tilt the odds in their favour.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
But I’m betting pride will speak louder than caution.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
Then the man continued walking, and the robot continued running, but with more caution than before.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
