Caveat Meaning
/ˈkævɪæt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA warning.
nounA qualification or exemption.
Sentence Examples
The major caveat that is preventing me from travelling more is increased travel expenses.
His proposal was very well received, but it had one big caveat.
The biggest caveat of using social media is reduced privacy.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The contract included a ____ that the seller could withdraw if a better offer appeared.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There is one small ____ to the deal that we need to discuss tonight.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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 Regard, […] (Illustrations of Early English Poetry; vol. 2, no. 2), London: Privately printed, [1867?], →OCLC, page 291:
"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:
"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, archived from the original on 08 Jul 2017:
"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:
"If someone has been transparent about their journey with GLP-1s, it’s OK to ask specific follow-up questions, she adds. 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, archived from the original on 01 Feb 2026:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The contract included a ____ that the seller could withdraw if a better offer appeared.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There is one small ____ to the deal that we need to discuss tonight.