cuidar

• cudiar
• cuidiar (Allande)
• coidar (archaic)

Inherited from Latin cogitāre.

• IPA^(key): /kwiˈdaɾ/ [kwiˈð̞aɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: cui‧dar

cuidar (first-person singular indicative present cuido, past participle cuidáu)

1. to think, believe

   Synonyms: pensar, cuntar

   Cuida que van a dexalu solu

   He thinks they are going to leave him alone

   Cuido que ye verdá

   I think it's true

   • 1842, José Napoleón Acebal Morán, Los Trataos:

     Señor, fó que yo cudié que era una chancia el regalu

     Sir, it was me who thought the gift was a joke

   • 1861, Evanxeliu según San Marcos:

     Non cuidéis que yo vieni desfacer la llei, nin los profetas: non vieni desfacélos, sinon dáyos complimientu:

     Do not think that I came to undo the Law, nor the prophets: I did not come to undo them, but to make sure they are followed:

2. to lie in wait

   Cuidarélu a la salida’l trabayu pa da-y el recáu

   I waited for him by his job's exit to give him the task

3. to spy

   Synonym: esclucar

4. to be careful [with, using something, to conserve it for example] (often with por)

   Synonym: mirar

   Dempués de la guerra cuidaron muncho pol aceite

   After the war, they took great care [to not waste] oil

5. to take care (of someone, something)

   Synonym: curiar

6. (reflexive) to make an effort
7. (reflexive) to give oneself a good life

• Xosé Lluis García Arias (2002–2004), “cuidar”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN
• “cuidar”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1ª edición, Academia de la Llingua Asturiana, 2000, →ISBN

Inherited from Latin cogitāre. Compare Old Occitan cuidar, Middle French cuider, Spanish cuidar. Doublet of cogitar, a borrowing from Latin.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [kujˈða]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [kujˈðaɾ]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -a(ɾ)

cuidar (first-person singular present cuido, first-person singular preterite cuidí, past participle cuidat)

1. to think, to believe
2. to be about to do something, especially having an accident
3. to care for, to take care of

• cuidador

• “cuidar”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “cuidar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

From Latin cogitāre.

• IPA^(key): /kyjˈdaɾ/

cuidar

1. to believe
2. to think

• cudar, cuedar, cueidar, cuydar, cueydar

From earlier *coidar, from Latin cōgitāre (“to think”).^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˈkui̯ˈdaɾ/

cuidar

1. (transitive) to think, believe [12th c.]^[2]
2. (transitive) to look after, take care of [14th c.]^[2]

• “cuidar(se)”, in Diccionario del español medieval electrónico [Vocabulary of medieval commerce] (in Spanish, English, and German), Rostock University and Paderborn University, 2022–present

• cuydar (obsolete)

From Old Galician-Portuguese cuidar, from Latin cōgitāre (“to think, to consider”), from co- + agitō (“to agitate”). Doublet of cogitar, a borrowing.

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Audio (Portugal):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cui‧dar

cuidar (first-person singular present cuido, first-person singular preterite cuidei, past participle cuidado)

1. (transitive) to take care (of); to look after (to provide care for) [with de]

   A mãe cuida das crianças. ― The mother tends the children.

2. (intransitive) to take care; to be careful
3. (transitive) to take care (of); to deal (with); to handle [with de]

   Não te preocupes, cuidarei deste problema. ― Don’t worry, I’ll take care of this problem.

4. (transitive) to mind (to concern oneself with, to pay attention to) [with de]

   Cuida da tua vida! ― Mind your own business! (literally, “Mind your life!”)

5. (transitive, archaic, dialectal) to think, to suppose to, to believe [with que]
6. (reflexive) to take care (be cautious, careful)
7. (reflexive, imperative) take care (used as a farewell)

• “cuidar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “cuidar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “cuidar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Inherited from Old Spanish cuidar (“to think; to take care of”), from Latin cogitāre (“to think”).^[1]

Doublet of cogitar, a learned borrowing from Latin, whence also English cogitate.

• IPA^(key): /kwiˈdaɾ/ [kwiˈð̞aɾ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: cui‧dar

cuidar (first-person singular present cuido, first-person singular preterite cuidé, past participle cuidado)

1. (ambitransitive) to look after, take care of (e.g. a house, a person) [transitive or with de ‘of’]

   La canguro está cuidando de mi hija.

   The babysitter is looking after my daughter.

2. (transitive) to mind, watch, pay attention to, be mindful of

   Cuide su lenguaje.

   Watch your language.

3. (reflexive) to look after oneself, take care

   cuídate ― take care

4. (reflexive) to be careful of, watch out for [with de (+ infinitive) ‘of’]

   Cuídate de no contar mi secreto.

   Be careful not to spread my secret.

5. (transitive, Costa Rica, rustic) to feed (an animal)^[2]

• “cuidar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025