Word.ws English Dictionary

caveat

Syllables: ca·ve·at/ˈkævɪæt//ˈkæviɑt/

caveat noun: a warning.

caveat: a warning
Image: Image created by the British Library - pages states "Usage, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

caveat (plural caveats)

  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.
    • And ſure, although it was invented to eaſe his mynde of griefe, there be a number of caveats therein to forewarne other young gentlemen to foreſtand with good government their folowing yl fortunes; […]1576, George Whetstone, “The Ortchard of Repentance: […]”, in The Rocke of Regard, […], London: […] [H. Middleton] for Robert Waley, →OCLC; republished in J[ohn] P[ayne] Collier, editor, The Rocke of...
  2. A qualification or exemption.
    • He gave his daughter some hyacinth bulbs with the caveat that she plant them in the shade.
    • If a midfielder and a defender are acquired by 1 September then Louis van Gaal will consider United's summer in the market almost a success. The one caveat is that the Dutchman wished to have finished strengthening the squad before the start of the season.2014 August 26, Jamie Jackson, “Ángel di María says Manchester United were the ‘only club’ after Real”, in The Guardian, London, →ISSN, archived from the original on 08 Jul 2017
  3. 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...1849 August 25, Thomas Webster, “Law of Patents.—Report of the Committee on the Signet and Privy Seal Offices. Extracts from Minutes of Evidence.”, in J[oseph] C[linton] Robertson, editor, Mechanics’...
    1. 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...1861 May 29, William Charles Belt, “Minutes of Evidence”, in Real Property Law Commission, South Australia (chairman: Chief Justice Charles Cooper), Report of the Real Property Law Commission, with...
      • The purpose of a caveat is to give a person who has an unregistered interest in a property the ability to protect that interest from the harshness of indefeasibility of title, which is enjoyed by a later interest which is registered, assuming there is no exception to indefeasibility available to...2005, Geoffrey Moore, “Torrens Title: Priorities between Unregistered Interests”, in David Barker, editor, Essential Real Property (Cavendish Essential Series), Coogee, New South Wales: Cavendish...
  4. A notice requesting a postponement of a court proceeding.

Verb

caveat (third-person singular simple present caveats, present participle caveating, simple past and past participle caveated)

  1. (transitive, regarded by some as nonstandard) To qualify a statement with a caveat or proviso.
    • 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.[…]"1918, Edward Lucas White, “Conference”, in The Unwilling Vestal: A Tale of Rome under the Cæsars, New York, N.Y.: E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton & Company, 681 Fifth Avenue, →OCLC, page 121
    • Some years ago, General Alexander Haig […] was widely criticized (and parodied) for using nouns as verbs in a highly idiosyncratic way, known as Haigspeak: phrases like "I'll have to caveat my response, Senator, and I'll caveat that", […] From one point of view, however, Haig was merely displaying...[1992, Robert McCrum, William Cran, Robert MacNeil, The Story of English, new and revised edition, London; Boston, Mass.: Faber and Faber; London: BBC Books, →ISBN, page 30
  2. (transitive) To formally object to something.
    • 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...1722, “a clergyman of the Church of England” [pseudonym; Thomas Stackhouse], The Miseries and Great Hardships of the Inferiour Clergy, in and about London. And a Modest Plea for Their Rights, and...
    • With the facts that may thus be brought distinctly before the public, it may soon become generally understood whether Professor [Royal Earl] House's Letter Printing telegraph (the only American telegraph patented in Great Britain and other European kingdoms as well as in the United States) is any...1847 October 16, “Magnetic Telegraph”, in American Railroad Journal and General Advertiser for Railroads, Canals, Steamboats, Machinery and Mines, volume III, number 42 (Second Quarto Series; volume...
    1. (specifically, transitive) To lodge a formal notice of interest in land under a Torrens land-title system.
      • It is unclear whether or not a purchaser upon exchange of contracts will be regarded as guilty of postponing conduct if failing to caveat.2005, Geoffrey Moore, “Torrens Title: Priorities between Unregistered Interests”, in David Barker, editor, Essential Real Property (Cavendish Essential Series), Coogee, N.S.W.: Cavendish Publishing...
  3. (dated, transitive) To issue a notice requesting that proceedings be suspended.
    • 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; […]1838 June, Judge William Gaston, “Hannah Gee v. Henry Gee and Peyton R. Tunstall”, in Thomas P. Devereux, William H[orn] Battle, editors, Reports of Cases in Equity, Argued and Determined in the...
    • The defendant, father of the testator, had caveated against granting of probate on the ground that the will was not duly executed, and that deceased did not know or approve of its contents.1913 December 6, Justice Street, “Probate Court. (Before Mr. Justice Street.) Disputed Will. Wills v. Craven.”, in The Sydney Morning Herald, page 5
  4. (obsolete, transitive) To warn or caution against some event.
    • […] 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.1663 December 14, Jo[hn] Scott; John Romeyn Brodhead, comp., “Captain John Scott to Under Secrᵗʸ [Joseph] Williamson. [Plant. Genl. Miscell. Bundle. State Paper Office.]”, in Documents Relative to...
    • It is said that the herb Christswoort, or Christmas flower, in plain English Black Helebore, (so called from its springing about this time) helpeth madnesse, distraction, purgeth melancholy and dulnesse. This last expression minds me to caveat the Reader, not to be angry at Helebore because it's...1825, John Jamieson, “CHRISTSWOORT, Christmas Flower”, in Supplement to the Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language: […], volume I (A–J) (in Scots), Edinburgh: […] University Press; for...

Proper noun capitalized: Caveat

Caveat

  1. A locality in the Shire of Murrindindi, central eastern Victoria, Australia.

caveat meaning in Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam and Kannada

caveat in Tamil

எச்சரிக்கை, எச்சரிப்பு, முன்னறிவிப்பு, முன்னெச்சரிக்கை மனு, அறிவுறுத்தல், தடைக்கட்டு

caveat in Bengali

সতর্কবাণী, শর্ত, আইনি নোটিশ, স্থগিতাদেশের পূর্বসতর্কতা

caveat in Malayalam

caution, warning, admoni-tion
മുന്നറിയിപ്പ്, താക്കീത്, മുൻസൂചന, ഉപദേശം, ഉപാധി, വ്യവസ്ഥ

caveat in Kannada

ಅಡ್ಡಿ, ಎಚ್ಚರಿಕೆ, ಎಚ್ಚರಿಕೆ ಪತ್ರ, ತಡೆಯರ್ಜಿ, ಕಾರ್ಯವನ್ನು ನಿಲ್ಲಿಸುವಂತೆ ಸೂಚನೆ
More languagesFewer languages
caveat in Persian
هشدار hošdâr

Examples of caveat in a sentence

  • Two young Harvard M.B.A.'s worked up some highly optimistic projections—with the caveat that these were speculative and should of course be tested.1986 March 9, Roy Blount Jr., “Able were they ere they saw cable”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, retrieved 23 Aug 2026, The New York Times...
  • The writing has been on the wall that Americans’ support for mass deportation was subject to all kinds of caveats and provisos.2025 July 13, Aaron Blake, “Trump’s mass deportation is backfiring”, in CNN, archived from the original on 17 Jul 2025:
  • One caveat, though: Don’t bring up the subject loudly or in front of other people.2026 January 29, Angela Haupt, “Can I Ask Someone if They’re on Ozempic?”, in TIME, →ISSN, archived from the original on 01 Feb 2026:
  • Section 74H of the Real Property Act provides that a caveat operates to prevent dealings that are subsequently lodged from obtaining registration.2005, Geoffrey Moore, “Torrens Title: Priorities between Unregistered Interests”, in David Barker, editor, Essential Real Property...

All 25 example sentences with caveat

Synonyms of caveat

Forms of caveat

Noun
pluralcaveats
Verb
third-person singular presentcaveats
present participlecaveating
past participlecaveated
pastcaveated

Plural of caveat: caveats

Origin of caveat

Learned borrowing from Latin caveat (“may he/she/it beware”), third-person singular present active subjunctive of caveō (“to beware of”). Doublet of show, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewh₁- (“to heed, look, feel, take note of”).

Words formed from caveat

  • caveatable
  • caveatee
  • caveator
  • caveatory
  • caveatrix
  • patent caveat
  • uncaveated

Phrases with caveat

Questions about caveat

What does caveat mean?
Caveat means a warning.
What is caveat in Tamil?
Caveat in Tamil is எச்சரிக்கை, எச்சரிப்பு, முன்னறிவிப்பு. See Caveat meaning in Tamil.
How do you use caveat in a sentence?
Two young Harvard M.B.A.'s worked up some highly optimistic projections—with the caveat that these were speculative and should of course be tested.
What part of speech is caveat?
Caveat can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce caveat?
Caveat is pronounced /ˈkævɪæt/ (UK).
What is the plural of caveat?
The plural of caveat is caveats.

Words near caveat in the dictionary

  1. caveach
  2. caveached
  3. caveaching
  4. caveae
  5. caveas
  6. caveat
  7. caveat emptor
  8. caveat lector
  9. caveat loan
  10. caveat loans
  11. caveated

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: caveat (page history and authors); Caveat (page history and authors); caveat (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); caveat (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); caveat (Olam, E.K. Kurup corpus) (dataset and license); caveat (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-uk-caveat.ogg, en-au-caveat.ogg, en-us-caveat.ogg.

Cite this entry: “caveat.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/caveat. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.