caution

cau·tion

 (kô′shən)

n.

1.

a. Careful forethought to avoid danger or harm.

b. Close attention or vigilance to minimize risk: The car proceeded over the rickety bridge with caution.

2. Prudence or restraint in action or decision: advised caution in choosing a school.

3. A warning or admonishment, especially to take heed: I received a caution from the doctor about fat in my diet.

4. A cautious action; a precaution: The climbers took the necessary cautions in preparing for the ascent.

5. Informal One that is striking or alarming.

v. cau·tioned, cau·tion·ing, cau·tions

v.tr.

To warn or admonish: cautioned him not to go swimming alone; cautioned that the findings were not conclusive.

v.intr.

To give a warning or admonishment: cautioned against overeating.

---

[Middle English caucioun, from Old French caution, from Latin cautiō, cautiōn-, from cautus, past participle of cavēre, to take care.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

caution

(ˈkɔːʃən)

n

1. care, forethought, or prudence, esp in the face of danger; wariness

2. something intended or serving as a warning; admonition

3. (Law) law chiefly Brit a formal warning given to a person suspected or accused of an offence that his or her words will be taken down and may be used in evidence

4. (Law) 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

5. informal an amusing or surprising person or thing: she's a real caution.

vb

6. (tr) to urge or warn (a person) to be careful

7. (Law) (tr) law chiefly Brit to give a caution to (a person)

8. (intr) to warn, urge, or advise: he cautioned against optimism.

[C13: from Old French, from Latin cautiō, from cavēre to beware]

ˈcautioner n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cau•tion

(ˈkɔ ʃən)

n.

1. alertness and prudence in a hazardous situation; care: Proceed with caution.

2. a warning against danger or evil; anything serving as a warning.

3. a person or thing that astonishes or causes mild apprehension: often used humorously.

v.t.

4. to advise or urge to take heed.

v.i.

5. to give a warning: to caution against overoptimism.

[1250–1300; < Latin cautiō taking precautions]

cau′tion•er, n.

syn: See warn.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

Caution

 

See Also: BEHAVIOR

1. Cagey as a feral cat —John Yount
2. Careful as a cat walking on eggshells —American colloquialism, attributed to New England
3. Carries it [a plant] as if it’s made of Steuben glass —Ann Beattie
4. Carry … like a hot tureen —Eudora Welty
5. Caution flowed over the [telephone] wire like a wave —Robert M. Coates
6. Caution, like that of a wild beast that is fierce but feeble or like that of an insect whose little fragment of earth has given way, and made it pause in a palsy of distrust —George Eliot
7. Cautious as a burglar walking over a tin roof in cowhide boots —Wallace Irwin
8. Cautious as a good housekeeper —Honore de Balzac
9. Cautious as a tightrope walker with a severe itch —Anon

   This is yet another perversion of the popular “Busy as a one-armed paperhanger” comparison.

   See Also: BUSYNESS

10. Cautious as his gray suit —John Dancy, NBC-TV, about Robert Gates at CIA confirmation hearings, April, 1987
11. Cautiously, like a man handling sixteenth-century lace —Roald Dahl
12. Choosy as a stud in a harem —Mike Sommer
13. Discreet … as if you’re trying to tail yourself —William Mcllvanney
14. Going as if he trod upon eggs —Robert Burton
15. Like a weight-watcher at the feast of San Gennaro, I just nibbled a bit —Lenoard M. Heine, Jr., commenting on his cautious stock purchases when others were investing freely, quoted Wall Street Journal column by Vartanig G. Vartan, January 19, 1987
16. Peeped out carefully like a mole from its hole —Derek Walcott
17. Picked up the pieces as carefully as if they were cuttings from the Koh-i-noor —Israel Zangwill
18. Picking his words like a man making his way through a minefield —Donald Seaman
19. Progressed like a man tracing and following a chalk line —Frank Swinnerton
20. A prudent man is like a pin; his head prevents him from going too far —Anon
21. Should be used with discretion, like cayenne pepper —Anon
22. So wary that he sleeps like a hare, with his eyes open —Thomas Fuller
23. Timid as hares —Anton Chekhov
24. To take all you want is never as good as to stop when you should —Lao Tzu
25. (We must) treat him like Dresden china —Nikolai V. Gogol
26. Wary as a blind horse —Thomas Fuller
27. Wary as a pickpocket’s confidence that the policeman on the beat will stay bought —H. L. Mencken

    This is slightly changed from Mencken’s original words which identified the pickpocket as an American.

28. Watched what he said as carefully as if he were in court —John Updike

Similes Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1988 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

caution

Past participle: cautioned
Gerund: cautioning

Imperative

caution

caution

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	caution - the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger; "a man of caution" carefulness, cautiousness attentiveness - the trait of being observant and paying attention incaution, incautiousness - the trait of forgetting or ignoring possible danger
	2.	caution - a warning against certain acts; "a caveat against unfair practices" caveat warning - a message informing of danger; "a warning that still more bombs could explode"
	3.	caution - judiciousness in avoiding harm or danger; "he exercised caution in opening the door"; "he handled the vase with care" care, forethought, precaution judiciousness - good judgment
	4.	caution - the trait of being circumspect and prudent circumspection precaution - the trait of practicing caution in advance chariness, wariness - the trait of being cautious and watchful discernment, discretion - the trait of judging wisely and objectively; "a man of discernment"
Verb	1.	caution - warn strongly; put on guard     monish, admonish warn - notify of danger, potential harm, or risk; "The director warned him that he might be fired"; "The doctor warned me about the dangers of smoking"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

caution

noun

1. care, discretion, heed, prudence, vigilance, alertness, forethought, circumspection, watchfulness, belt and braces, carefulness, heedfulness Drivers are urged to exercise extreme caution in icy weather.
care daring, carelessness, recklessness, imprudence, rashness

2. reprimand, warning, injunction, admonition The others got off with a caution but I was fined.

verb

1. warn, urge, advise, alert, tip off, forewarn, put you on your guard Banks caution young couples against opening joint bank accounts. reprimand, warn, admonish, give an injunction to The two men were cautioned but the police say they will not be charged.

Proverbs
"You should know a man seven years before you stir his fire"
"Once bitten, twice shy"

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

caution

noun

1. Careful forethought to avoid harm or risk:

calculation, care, carefulness, chariness, gingerliness, precaution, wariness.

2. Cautious attentiveness:

care, carefulness, gingerliness, heed, heedfulness, mindfulness, regard.

3. The exercise of good judgment or common sense in practical matters:

circumspection, discretion, forehandedness, foresight, foresightedness, forethought, forethoughtfulness, precaution, prudence.

4. Advice to beware, as of a person or thing:

admonishment, admonition, caveat, monition, warning.

verb

To notify (someone) of imminent danger or risk:

admonish, alarm, alert, forewarn, warn.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

احْتِراسٌ، حَذَرٌتَحْذيرٌحَذَريُحَذِّرُ

opatrnostvarovánívarovatvýstraha

forsigtighedadvareadvarsel

VorsichtwarnenWarnungBehutsamkeitverwarnen

σύνεση

cautelaprecauciónadvertenciaadvertirprudencia

varovaisuushuolellisuushuomioneuvoneuvoa

prudenceavertiravertissementcautionprécaution

oprez

figyelmeztetfigyelmeztetésóvóvadékóvás

áminnaáminninggætni, varfærni

cautelaavvertireprudenzacautamentecauto

注意

조심

įspėjantisįspėjimaspamokomas

brīdinājumsbrīdināt

borgborgsomgarantiemanenvoorzichtigheid

varsomhetbli advart

ostrożność

cautela

осторожностьпредосторожность

pozorprevidnost

försiktighet

การตักเตือน

dikkatihtimamikazikaz etmekönlem

sự thận trọng

小心警告

caution

[ˈkɔːʃən]

A. N

1. (= care) → cautela f, prudencia f
"caution!" (Aut) → ¡cuidado!, ¡precaución!
proceed with caution → actúe con precaución
to throw caution to the winds → abandonar la prudencia

2. (= warning) → advertencia f, aviso m (Brit) (Police) → amonestación f

3. he's a caution (o.f.) (= amusing) → es un tío divertidísimo; (= odd) → es un tío muy raro

B. VT to caution sb (Brit) (Police) → amonestar a algn
to caution sb against doing sth → advertir a algn que no haga algo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

caution

[ˈkɔːʃ^ən]

n

(= care) → prudence f
to throw caution to the wind → oublier toute prudence

(= warning) (from the police, the authorities) → avertissement m

vt

(= warn) → avertir, donner un avertissement à

[police] mettre en garde un suspect, au moment de son arrestation, que tout ce qu'il dira pourra être retenu contre lui

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

caution

n

(= circumspection) → Vorsicht f, → Umsicht f, → Bedacht m; “caution!” → „Vorsicht!“; to act with caution → umsichtig or mit Bedacht vorgehen, Vorsicht walten lassen

(= warning) → Warnung f; (official) → Verwarnung f

(inf) to be a real caution → zum Piepen sein (inf)

vt to caution somebody → jdn warnen (→ against vor +dat); (officially) → jdn verwarnen; to caution somebody against doing something → jdn davor warnen, etw zu tun

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

caution

[ˈkɔːʃ/ən]

1. n (care) → attenzione f, prudenza; (warning) → avvertimento, ammonizione f; (from police) → diffida

2. vt to caution sb (subj, official) → ammonire qn; (policeman) → diffidare qn
to caution sb against doing sth → diffidare qn dal fare qc

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

caution

(ˈkoːʃən) noun

1. carefulness (because of possible danger etc). Exercise caution when crossing this road. versigtigheid, omsigtigheid احْتِراسٌ، حَذَرٌ внимание cuidado opatrnost die Vorsicht forsigtighed προσοχή, προφύλαξηcautela, precaución, prudencia ettevaatus احتیاط varovaisuus prudenceזהירות सावधानी oprez óvatosság berhati-hati gætni, varfærni cautela, prudenza 用心 주의 atsargumas piesardzība dengan berhati-hati voorzichtigheidforsiktighet, varsomhetostrożność احتیاط cuidado prudenţă осторожность opatrnosť previdnost oprez försiktighet ความระมัดระวัง dikkat, özen, ihtimam 小心 обережність; обачність احتیاط کا رویہ sự thận trọng 小心

2. in law, a warning. The policeman gave him a caution for speeding. waarskuwing تَحْذيرٌ предупреждение repreensão varování, výstraha die Warnung advarsel σύστασηadvertencia hoiatus هشدار؛ تذکر varoitus avertissementאזהרה चेतावनी opreznost figyelmeztetés peringatan áminning avvertimento, ammonimento 警告 경고 įspėjimas brīdinājums memperingatkan waarschuwingadvarselostrzeżenie اخطار repreensão avertisment предупреждение výstraha opomin opomena varning, tillrättavisning การตักเตือน uyarı, ikaz 警告 застереження, попередження تنبیہہ ، آگاہی cảnh cáo 警告

verb

to give a warning to. He was cautioned for drunken driving. waarsku يُحَذِّرُ предупреждавам repreender varovat warnen advare προειδοποιώadvertir hoiatust tegema هشدار دادن؛ تذکر دادن varoittaa avertir לְהַזהִיר चेतावनी देना upozoriti figyelmeztet memperingatkan áminna avvertire 警告する 경고를 주다 įspėti brīdināt amaran waarschuwenadvare, bli advart ostrzegać اخطار ورکول repreender a avertiza делать предупреждение varovať opomniti opomenuti varna, tillrättavisa เตือน uymak, ikaz etmek 警告 робити попередження خبردار کرنا cảnh báo 警告

ˈcautionary adjective

waarskuwend تَحْذيري، تَنْبيهِي предупредителен acautelador varovný, výstražný vorsichtig advarende; advarsels- προειδοποιητικόςaleccionador hoiatav هشدار آمیز varoittava d'avertissement מַתרֶה सलाह या चेतावनी upozorenje figyelmeztető peringatan aðvörunar- ammonitore 警告の 경계의 pamokomas, įspėjantis brīdinošs peringatan waarschuwend advarendeostrzegawczy اخطار آمیز acautelador de avertisment предупреждающий výstražný opozorilen opominjući varnande, varnings- ที่ให้คำแนะนำหรือคำเตือน uyarıcı, ikaz edici 告誡的 попереджувальний, застережний ہوشیاری، تنبیہی ، چوکسی để báo trước 告诫的

ˈcautious adjective

having or showing caution; careful. She used to trust everyone but she's more cautious now; a cautious driver. versigtig; behoedsaam; omsigtig حَذِر، مُحْتَرِس предпазлив cuidadoso opatrný, obezřetný vorsichtig forsigtig προσεκτικόςcauteloso, prudente, cauto ettevaatlik محتاط varovainen prudentזהיר सावधान, चौकस oprezan óvatos hati-hati varfærinn cauto, prudente 用心深い 신중한 atsargus piesardzīgs waspada voorzichtig, behoedzaamforsiktig, forbeholdenostrożny محتاط، محتاطانه cuidadoso pru­dent, precaut осторожный opatrný previden oprezan försiktig ซึ่งรอบคอบ dikkatli, tedbirli 謹慎的 обережний; передбачливий چوکنا ، خبردار cẩn trọng 谨慎的

ˈcautiously adverb

versigtig بِحَذَر، باحْتِراس предпазливо cuidadosamente opatrně vorsichtig forsigtigt; varsomt προσεκτικάprudentemente ettevaatlikult محتاطانه varovasti prudemmentבזהירות सावधानीपूर्वक oprezan óvatosan berhati-hati varfærnislega prudentemente 用心して 신중하게 atsargiai piesardzīgi dengan berwaspada voorzichtig, behoedzaamforsiktig, forbeholdentostrożnie محتاطانه cuidadosamente prudent, cu grijă осторожно opatrne previdno oprezno försiktigt อย่างรอบคอบ dikkatlice, ihtiyatla 謹慎地 обережно; передбачливо احتیاط سے một cách cẩn trọng 谨慎地

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

caution

→ حَذَر opatrnost forsigtighed Vorsicht σύνεση cautela varovaisuus prudence oprez cautela 注意 조심 voorzichtigheid varsomhet ostrożność cautela осторожность försiktighet การตักเตือน önlem sự thận trọng 小心

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

caution

n. advertencia, precaución, cautela.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012