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• foster
  foster

  verb (used with object)

  to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage.
• Foster
  Foster

  noun

  Stephen (Collins), 1826–64, U.S. songwriter.

foster

¹ American  

[faw-ster, fos-ter] / ˈfɔ stər, ˈfɒs tər /

verb (used with object)

• fosters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• fostered,
  past participle,  past
• fostering
  present participle

1. to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage.

   to foster new ideas.

   Synonyms:

   instigate, foment, advance, forward, favor

   Antonyms:

   discourage

2. to care for a foster child or a pet as a temporary guardian.

   The couple fostered two boys until they could be reunited with their birth parents.

   Have you ever fostered a kitten that you just couldn’t part from afterwards?

   Synonyms:

   maintain, support, sustain, nourish, nurse

3. to care for or cherish.

4. British. to place (a child) in a foster home.

5. Obsolete. to feed or nourish.

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Foster ² American  

[faw-ster, fos-ter] / ˈfɔ stər, ˈfɒs tər /

noun

1. Stephen (Collins), 1826–64, U.S. songwriter.

2. William Z(ebulon) 1881–1961, U.S. labor organizer: leader in the Communist Party.

3. a male given name.

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foster ¹ British  

/ ˈfɒstə /

verb

1. to promote the growth or development of

2. to bring up (a child, etc); rear

3. to cherish (a plan, hope, etc) in one's mind

4. 1. to place (a child) in the care of foster parents

   2. to bring up under fosterage

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adjective

1. (in combination) indicating relationship through fostering and not through birth

   foster mother

   foster child

2. (in combination) of or involved in the rearing of a child by persons other than his natural or adopted parents

   foster home

Foster ² British  

/ ˈfɒstə /

noun

1. Jodie . born 1962, US film actress and director: her films include Taxi Driver (1976), The Accused (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1990), Little Man Tate (1991; also directed), Nell (1995), and Panic Room (2002)

2. Norman , Baron. born 1935, British architect. His works include the Willis Faber building (1978) in Ipswich, Stansted Airport, Essex (1991), Chek Lap Kok Airport, Hong Kong (1998), the renovation of the Reichstag, Berlin (1999), and City Hall, London (2002)

3. Stephen Collins . 1826–64, US composer of songs such as The Old Folks at Home and Oh Susanna

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Synonym Usage

See cherish.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fosterer
  noun
• fostering
  noun
• unfostering
  adjective
• fosteringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• fostering
  present
• fostered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• foster
  simple
• fosters
  simple
• have fostered
  perfect
• has fostered
  perfect
• am fostering
  progressive
• are fostering
  progressive
• is fostering
  progressive
• have been fostering
  perfect progressive
• has been fostering
  perfect progressive

Past

• fostered
  simple
• had fostered
  perfect
• was fostering
  progressive
• were fostering
  progressive
• had been fostering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will foster
  simple
• will have fostered
  perfect
• will be fostering
  progressive
• will have been fostering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of foster

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English fōstor “nourishment,” fōstrian “to nourish”; cognate with Old Norse fōstr; akin to food

Explanation

To foster is to nurture something. A teacher could foster creativity by providing crayons to every student. You can also foster a child, which means the child lives in your home for a time. You may have seen photos of a cat taking care of a baby rabbit, or a pig nursing a litter of puppies: those are little foster families. Foster can be a verb (to foster someone or something) or an adjective used to describe a foster family, child, or parent. The word is from the Old English fostrian meaning "to supply with food, nourish, support," which sounds like what those mama hogs were doing. Unlike adopt, foster has a time limit.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foster Foster fosters fostered fostering

The organisation said it would share the feedback with judges and consider it as it continued to "foster an inclusive and supportive environment for everyone taking part".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

In a recent lament, the New York Times waves at unnamed “many experts” to say this was a sensible way to foster an EV industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

In making the change, he said he hoped “to foster a public conversation about what the Fed is doing to support a strong and resilient economy.‘

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026

Also, the bill clarifies that an animal control agency, with the consent of a prosecutor, can place an evidence animal with a foster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Especially after the night she’d spent locked on the roof of her foster home.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Foster + Partners, the architecture firm behind The Gherkin, and engineering consultants Wintech Ltd were cleared of the same charges.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Before arriving in France, where she planned to spend a year, Foster messaged French speakers to practice chatting in that language.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

"Bill was a multi-talented celebrity -- wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist," his agent David Foster said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Foster continued that Oddie "taught us the wonder of" the environment.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

The noise startled Mr. Foster and he dropped his cigar right into the soapy water.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

It’s a tedious spin on a Wolverine movie Jackman has already made, 2017’s “Logan,” in which his mythic anti-heroic X-Man fosters a ferocious moppet en route to the grave.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

The fourth edition of the summit, which fosters diplomatic interactions between India and countries of the African continent, was set to be held in Delhi from 28-31 May after more than a decade.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

The Yerevan gathering is the first of its kind in the Caucasus and comes as Armenia fosters closer ties with Europe while seeking to cautiously loosen itself from Russia's grasp.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

Not being able to take dogs out of their kennels made it harder for fosters and rescuers to determine whether they were suitable for rescue, some said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

This new consensus must begin with dialogue, a conversation that fosters a critical consciousness, a key prerequisite to effective social action.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

While these policies reflected an important step forward in overseeing high-risk research, they still fostered a culture of belief that some risks were worth taking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Missionaries fostered a “larger view of the world.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

“Not only the long-awaited championship, but the likability of the team has really fostered a new generation of fans,” says Marangi.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

He did not specify the targets but a statement by the ruling party said the president had observed that the government fostered corruption and failed to diversify the economy.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

“I remember everything. The caravan was like a small city—Tribe Saif is dozens of families strong. I was fostered by the tribe s Kehanni, Mamie Rila.”

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

They expect the students to return a profit, but they are also enthusiastic about fostering the young program and meeting standout students.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Controversy surrounding data center construction has roiled Texas in recent months, fostering a bipartisan coalition of opposition, particularly among rural and suburban residents.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026

This includes the care system, fostering and adoption practices, related institutions such as "baby homes", private nursing homes, and cross-border and international transfers of women and children.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Dan Greaves, Klarna’s head of communications and policy, lauded the court’s decision for fostering “a healthier, more competitive market for the way people compare products and services” in his own statement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

But as new knowledge accumulated, the printing press instead of fostering scepticism began to make possible a new type of confidence.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton