What does "caveat" mean?
A warning.
Caveat
/ˈkævɪæt/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A warning.
- Grammar: caveat is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: caution, admonishment, admonition, admonitions.
- Useful contrasts: approval, assurance, consent.
- Usage evidence: The major caveat that is preventing me from travelling more is increased travel expenses.
How to use "caveat"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "caveat" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "caveat" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "caveat" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "caveat" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "caveat" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "caution" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "caveat", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A warning.
"There is at least one caveat in cultivation: you’ll have to stick to only one discipline, such as that according to Bhaiṣajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha."
- 2 (law) a formal notice filed with a court or officer to suspend a proceeding until filer is given a hearing wordnet
- 3 A qualification or exemption.
"He gave his daughter some hyacinth bulbs with the caveat that she plant them in the shade."
- 4 a warning against certain acts wordnet
- 5 A formal objection.
"If I adhered to the system of caveats, which would throw it upon an individual to be cautious, and to look out lest he should not have notice, if he did not enter a caveat I would require him to specify in respect of what he entered his caveat. General caveats, I think, should not be allowed against all the world and against general inventions, for the same reasons that I would not allow a person to have a patent for a general title without specifying upon what improvements he applied for a patent."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A formal objection.; A formal notice of interest in land under a Torrens land-title system.
"The necessity for caveats arise in two cases: one class of caveats is prohibitory as regards some contemplated dealing or transaction affecting the property described in the caveat; while another class of caveats arises out of adverse claims to the land itself, or to some estate or interest in the land."
- 7 A notice requesting a postponement of a court proceeding.
Verb
- 1 To qualify a statement with a caveat or proviso. transitive
"The Emperor smiled more than a half smile. / "I am not sure," he said, "that any harm was done, anyhow." / "What!" cried Brinnaria. "You excuse me? You defend me?" / "Softly! Softly!" the Emperor caveatted, raising his hand. "I do not acquit you nor exonerate you. But I do make allowances.[…]""
- 2 To formally object to something. transitive
"But of all the Strategems to prevent the obtaining of Licences, commend me to that of entring Caveats againſt one another's Curates; a Project of vaſt Contrivance, and worthy the renowned Head that firſt invented it. By this means, 'tis eaſy to ſee, that if there be but Confederacy enough among the Incumbents, and Corruption enough in the Officer that receives them, the whole Body of Curates may be demoliſhed at once. "Tis but changing Hands, my caveating yours, and your caveating my Curate, and then a Fig for the Canons, that require them to be licenc'd Preachers.""
- 3 To formally object to something.; To lodge a formal notice of interest in land under a Torrens land-title system. specifically, transitive
"It is unclear whether or not a purchaser upon exchange of contracts will be regarded as guilty of postponing conduct if failing to caveat."
- 4 To issue a notice requesting that proceedings be suspended. dated, transitive
"The answer further alleged that the intestate, in right of his wife, caveated the probate in Virginia of the will of one William Hill, her relation; […]"
- 5 To warn or caution against some event. obsolete, transitive
"[…] I beseach you to caveat any addresse being fully heard until some person commissioned from this Countrey be their to confront the sayd Dutch or their complices."
Proper Noun
- 1 A locality in the Shire of Murrindindi, central eastern Victoria, Australia.
Example
"The major caveat that is preventing me from travelling more is increased travel expenses."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "caveat"?
Common synonyms include: caution, admonishment, admonition, admonitions, advice, advising.
How do you use "caveat" in a sentence?
The major caveat that is preventing me from travelling more is increased travel expenses.
How do you pronounce "caveat"?
Pronounced /ˈkævɪæt/.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin caveat (“may he/she/it beware”), third-person singular present active subjunctive of caveō (“I beware of”). Doublet of show, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁- (“to heed, look, feel, take note of”).