Adjacent Words

Caution definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CAUTION, n.
1. Provident care; prudence in regard to danger; wariness, consisting in a careful attention to the probable effects of a measure, and a judicious course of conduct to avoid evils and the arts of designing men.
Caution is the armor to defend us against imposition and the attacks of evil.
2. Security for, nearly the sense of the French caution, bail.
The parliament would give his majesty sufficient caution that the war should be prosecuted.
3. Provision or security against; measures taken for security; as the rules and cautions of government.
4. Precept; advice; injunction; warning; exhortation, intended as security or guard against evil.
CAUTION, v.t. To give notice of danger; to warn; to exhort to take heed.
You cautioned me against their charms.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger; "a man of caution" [syn: caution, cautiousness, carefulness] [ant: incaution, incautiousness]
2: a warning against certain acts; "a caveat against unfair practices" [syn: caution, caveat]
3: judiciousness in avoiding harm or danger; "he exercised caution in opening the door"; "he handled the vase with care" [syn: caution, precaution, care, forethought]
4: the trait of being circumspect and prudent [syn: circumspection, caution] v
1: warn strongly; put on guard [syn: caution, admonish, monish]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Latin caution-, cautio precaution, from cav?re to be on one's guard — more at hear Date: 1566 1. warning, admonishment 2. precaution 3. prudent forethought to minimize risk 4. one that astonishes or commands attention <some shoes you see…these days are a caution — Esquire> • cautionary adjective II. transitive verb (cautioned; cautioning) Date: 1683 to advise caution to ; warn

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 attention to safety; prudence, carefulness. 2 a esp. Brit. a warning, esp. a formal one in law. b a formal warning and reprimand. 3 colloq. an amusing or surprising person or thing. --v.tr. 1 (often foll. by against, or to + infin.) warn or admonish. 2 esp. Brit. issue a caution to. Phrases and idioms: caution money Brit. a sum deposited as security for good conduct. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L cautio -onis f. cavere caut- take heed

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Caution Cau"tion, n. (Civil & Scots Law) A pledge, bond, or other security for the performance of an obligation either in or out of judicial proceedings; the promise or contract of one not for himself but another; security.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Caution Cau"tion v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cautioned; p. pr. & vb. n. Cautioning.] To give notice of danger to; to warn; to exhort [one] to take heed. You cautioned me against their charms. --Swift.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Caution Cau"tion, n. [F. caution a security, L. cautio, fr. cavere (For scavere) to be on one's guard, to take care (orig.) to be on the watch, see; akin to E. show.] 1. A careful attention to the probable effects of an act, in order that failure or harm may be avoided; prudence in regard to danger; provident care; wariness. 2. Security; guaranty; bail. [R.] The Parliament would yet give his majesty sufficient caution that the war should be prosecuted. --Clarendon. 3. Precept or warning against evil of any kind; exhortation to wariness; advice; injunction. In way of caution I must tell you. --Shak. Caution money, money deposited by way of security or guaranty, as by a student at an English university. Syn: Care; forethought; forecast; heed; prudence; watchfulness; vigilance; circumspection; anxiety; providence; counsel; advice; warning; admonition.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(cautions, cautioning, cautioned) 1. Caution is great care which you take in order to avoid possible danger. Extreme caution should be exercised when buying part-worn tyres... The Chancellor is a man of caution. 2. If someone cautions you, they warn you about problems or danger. Tony cautioned against misrepresenting the situation... The statement clearly was intended to caution Seoul against attempting to block the council's action again... He cautioned that opposition attacks on the ruling party would not further political co-operation. = warn VERB: V against n/-ing, V n against/about n/-ing, V that • Caution is also a noun. There was a note of caution for the Treasury in the figures. = warning 3. If someone who has broken the law is cautioned by the police, they are warned that if they break the law again official action will be taken against them. (BRIT) The two men were cautioned but police say they will not be charged... VERB: usu passive, be V-ed • Caution is also a noun. In November 1987 Paula escaped with a caution. In October 1988 she was fined. N-COUNT 4. If someone who has been arrested is cautioned, the police warn them that anything they say may be used as evidence in a trial. (BRIT) Nobody was cautioned after arrest. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed 5. If you throw caution to the wind, you behave in a way that is not considered sensible or careful. I threw caution to the wind and rode as fast as I could. PHRASE: V inflects 6. to err on the side of caution: see err

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Wariness, heed, heedfulness, circumspection, care, carefulness, watchfulness, vigilance, forethought, providence, prudence, discretion. 2. Warning, admonition, injunction, advice, counsel. 3. (Scotch law.) Security, guaranty, surety, pledge. II. v. a. Warn, admonish, forewarn, put on one's guard.

Moby Thesaurus

TLC, admonish, admonishment, admonition, advice, advise, advising, advocacy, alarm, alert, alerting, alertness, anticipation, attention, briefing, canniness, care, carefulness, caution money, cautioning, cautiousness, caveat, charge, circumspection, circumspectness, clue, collateral, collateral security, concern, consideration, consultation, council, counsel, cry havoc, cry out against, cue, daunt, deposit, determent, deterrence, deterrent example, diffidence, direction, discreetness, discretion, disinclination to believe, dissuade, encourage, enjoin, example, exhort, exhortation, expostulate, expostulation, falter, faltering, final notice, final warning, foresight, forethought, forewarn, forewarning, forfeit, frighten off, frightening off, give fair warning, give notice, give warning, guardedness, guidance, heed, heedfulness, hesitance, hesitancy, hesitating, hesitation, hint, hortation, idea, incite, inconvincibility, incredulity, induce, injunction, instruction, intimidate, intimidation, issue a caveat, issue an ultimatum, kid out of, leeriness, lesson, loving care, margin, mindfulness, monition, moral, move, notice, notification, notify, object lesson, office, opinion, parley, passing word, persuade, pointer, preach, precaution, preconsideration, predeliberation, premeditation, preparedness, prompt, proposal, providence, prudence, recommendation, regard, regardfulness, remonstrance, remonstrate, resistiveness to belief, shilly-shally, shilly-shallying, skepticism, solicitude, sound the alarm, stake, steer, suggestion, suspicion, suspiciousness, talk out of, talking out of, tender loving care, tentativeness, thought, thoughtfulness, threat, threaten, tip, tip off, tip-off, tough-mindedness, ultimatum, unconvincibility, uncredulousness, unpersuadability, unpersuade, unpersuasibility, urge, utter a caveat, verbum sapienti, vigilance, wariness, warn, warn against, warning, warning piece, watchfulness, whisper