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Take care of vs look after
Take care of and look after both mean to care for someone, but take care of is the one used mainly to deal with a task or a problem.
Quick rule
Caring for a person, pet or plant: take care of or look after. Handling a task or a problem: take care of.
To look after someone or something, and also to deal with a task or problem: take care of the bill. It needs of before the object.
To care for or be responsible for a person, animal or thing. For dealing with a task, take care of is the usual choice.
Why it trips people up
Both phrases mean to be responsible for something. Look after is only about caring; take care of also covers handling a task. A bare "care" cannot take an object, so one of the two phrases is needed.
How each one works
Take care of
Looking after a pet
Can you take care of my cat while I'm away?
Dealing with a task
Don't worry about the tickets. I'll take care of them.
Looking after yourself
Take care of yourself, and call me when you land.
Look after
Caring for a person
She looks after her baby brother while her parents work.
Keeping plants or a place
Who will look after the garden this summer?
Caring for your own health
You should look after your health.
What comes next
take care of plus person or thing
She takes care of her grandfather on weekends.
take care of plus task
He took care of the paperwork yesterday.
look after plus person or thing
The neighbors look after our house in winter.
Set phrases
Take care of
- take care of business
- do what needs to be done
Look after
- look after yourself
- be careful of your own health and safety
- look after number one
- think of your own interests before others
Almost the same
I'll take care of the dishes.
A task you do.
I'll look after the dishes.
Sounds like protecting them, not washing them.
Take care of the baby tonight.
Caring for the baby.
Look after the baby tonight.
The same meaning.
In a conversation
- A:
Can you look after Max this weekend?
- B:
Your dog? Sure. I'll take care of the walks too.
- A:
Thanks. He's no trouble. I'll leave his food by the door.
- B:
What about his medicine?
- A:
Just one pill a day. I'll take care of that before I go.
- B:
Perfect. Have a great trip!
Common mistakes
Wrong: She looks for her sick mother every day.
Right: She looks after her sick mother every day.
Look for is to search. To care for someone, the phrase is look after.
Wrong: I'll look after the bill; you find a table.
Right: I'll take care of the bill; you find a table.
To handle a task such as paying, take care of is the natural choice. Look after is mostly about caring for people and things.
Memory trick
If "deal with" fits (the bill, the email, the problem), use take care of. If you are caring for someone, both work. Neither drops its preposition: of or after.
It depends
- Take care! as a goodbye
- In conversation, Take care! is a farewell, like "Look after yourself." There is no of in it.
- Care for
- Cambridge also lists care for as to look after a person: She cared for her father until he died.
FAQ
Take care of or look after?
For caring for a person or pet, both work. For dealing with a task, take care of is the usual choice.
Take care of and look after: is there a difference?
Take care of also means to deal with something, like a bill or a problem. Look after is mostly about caring for.
Take care of yourself or look after yourself?
Both are right and mean the same: be careful of your health and safety.