caveat
noun
ca·ve·at
| \ ˈka-vē-ˌät
, -ˌat, ˈkä-vē-ˌät
; ˈkā-vē-ˌat\
, -ˌat, ˈkä-vē-ˌät
; ˈkā-vē-ˌat\
Definition of caveat
1a
: a warning enjoining one from certain acts or practices
a caveat against unfair practices
b
: an explanation to prevent misinterpretation
c
: a modifying or cautionary detail to be considered when evaluating, interpreting, or doing something
The driving instructor gave his students this caveat: if you are driving under the speed limit, stay in the far right lane.
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Examples of caveat in a Sentence
Sound great? There's just one caveat: Knowledge about how genes work is still in the scientific Stone Age.
— Andrea Knox, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2000
We'll add a caveat of our own for parents: After your kids walk through 17,500 gal. of swirling water, they're not going to be satisfied running through the lawn sprinkler.
— Jim Wilson, Popular Mechanics, July 1999
But the youthquake in the new economy comes with a caveat that also may begin applying to politics. If you're inexperienced and you want a big job, you'd better be smart as hell.
— Jonathan Alter, Newsweek, 22 Nov. 1999
… a cluster bomb can destroy objects over a wider area, with the important caveat that it is effective only if the bomblets have sufficient destructive power on their own.
— Norman Friedman, Desert Victory, 1991
His investment advice comes with a caveat: that the stock market is impossible to predict with absolute accuracy.
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Recent Examples on the Web
The use of that term, especially without caveats, raised alarms among pro-Israel groups. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, "Ethnic studies may soon be mandatory. Can California get it right?," 13 Aug. 2019 Under this caveat, the the island nation, which has a long tradition of hunting and eating whale meat, harvested between 200 and 1,200 animals per year. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Japan Resumes Commercial Whaling in Its Home Waters," 1 July 2019 While most clothing items are probably OK to re-wear (given the caveats noted above), anything directly touching the groin area—including underwear and any pants worn commando—should definitely be washed after every use, says Dr. Fenton. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "How Gross Is It Really to Re-Wear Sweaty Workout Clothes?," 5 June 2019 For many women, these current therapies, with their side effects and caveats, still leave something to be desired. — Emily Willingham, Scientific American, "Testosterone Therapy Can Restore Women’s Libido—but Questions Remain," 30 July 2019 On the trail, Biden often adds caveats that his facts and figures might not be precise. — Philip Elliott, Time, "Why Joe Biden's Campaign is Struggling," 25 July 2019 There’s a caveat to the spring workouts to not go overboard on evaluations, as Jim Schwartz said and as was mentioned in last week’s newsletter. — Zach Berman, https://www.inquirer.com, "Carson Wentz’s status, Eagles who have stood out, Joe Douglas’ future | Early Birds," 5 June 2019 One big caveat for free-range parents, though, is that states have widely different laws and statutes about the ages kids have to be before they're allowed to be unsupervised, at home or in a car. — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, "Five Types of Parenting Styles, Explained — And How They Affect Kids, According to Experts," 1 Apr. 2019 In her work, rage is authority; her imperious voice and dirty mouth make for a feminist literature empty of caveats and equivocation. — The New York Review of Books, "Johanna Fateman," 15 Feb. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'caveat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for caveat
caveat
noun
English Language Learners Definition of caveat
formal
: an explanation or warning that should be remembered when you are doing or thinking about something
See the full definition for caveat in the English Language Learners Dictionary
caveat
noun
ca·ve·at
| \ ˈka-vē-ˌät, -ˌat; ˈkä-vē-ˌät, ˈkā-vē-ˌat
\
\
Legal Definition of caveat
1a
: a warning enjoining one from certain acts or practices
b
: an explanation to prevent a misinterpretation
2
: a notice to a court or judicial officer to suspend a proceeding until the opposition can be heard
a caveat entered in the probate court to stop the proving of the will
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