26984 words

caution

15 definitions • 19 examples
1
great care and attention:

Examples:

proceed with caution We need to proceed with caution (= be careful in taking action, making decisions, etc.)
exercise caution You should exercise caution when swimming in places where there are submerged rocks.
treat something with caution They treated the story of his escape with (some/great/extreme) caution (= thought that it might not be true).
2
a spoken warning given by a police officer or official to someone who has broken the law:

Examples:

As it was her first offence, she was only given a caution.
3
advice or a warning:

Examples:

word of caution Just a word of caution - the cheaper models probably aren't worth buying.
4
a punishment for breaking the rules in a football game in which the referee writes the player's name in a book and holds up a yellow card
5
If the police caution someone, they give them an official warning.
6
to warn someone:

Examples:

caution someone against something/doing something The newspaper cautioned its readers against buying shares without getting good advice first.
7
If a football referee cautions a player, he punishes them for breaking the rules by writing their name in a book and holding up a yellow card.
8
a warning:

Examples:

It’s a good time to invest, he said, but a word of caution is in order.
9

Examples:

Use caution when approaching the railroad crossing.
10
to warn someone about a possible problem or danger:

Examples:

[ T ] They cautioned her not to walk through the park at night.
[ I always + adv/prep ] Experts caution against reading too much into the decline of stock market prices.
11
care and attention in order to avoid risk or possible problems:

Examples:

The latest figures suggest that consumer caution has increased in recent months.
Those keen on investing in small companies should proceed with caution.
great/extreme caution The letter outlines that customers should treat any email appearing to be from their bank with great caution.
exercise/use caution Investors are urged to exercise caution to avoid the less reputable companies.
advise/urge caution
12
to decide to take care rather than take any risks:

Examples:

Given the uncertainties in the market, it would be far better to err on the side of caution.
13
to decide not to worry about possible dangers or risks:

Examples:

Faced with one of the worst financial crises in recent memory, British investors threw caution to the wind and scrambled to buy stocks.
14
to warn someone about something:

Examples:

The Committee sounded a note of caution, saying the extra money entering the economy may push up inflation.
15
to warn someone about something:

Examples:

caution that Economists caution that retail sales tax collections represent about half of all retail spending.

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