nurture

American  

[nur-cher] / ˈnɜr tʃər /

verb (used with object)

nurtures, present (3rd person singular) nurtured, past participle, past nurturing present participle

1. to feed and protect.

   to nurture one's offspring.

2. to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development; foster.

   to nurture promising musicians.

3. to bring up; train; educate.

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noun

1. rearing, upbringing, training, education, or the like.

2. development.

   the nurture of young artists.

3. something that nourishes; nourishment; food.

nurture British  

/ ˈnɜːtʃə /

noun

1. the act or process of promoting the development, etc, of a child

2. something that nourishes

3. biology the environmental factors that partly determine the structure of an organism See also nature

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verb

1. to feed or support

2. to educate or train

Synonym Usage

See nurse.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nurturer
  noun
• nurturable
  adjective
• nurtureless
  adjective
• unnurtured
  adjective
• well-nurtured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• nurturing
  present
• nurtured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• nurture
  simple
• nurtures
  simple
• have nurtured
  perfect
• has nurtured
  perfect
• am nurturing
  progressive
• are nurturing
  progressive
• is nurturing
  progressive
• have been nurturing
  perfect progressive
• has been nurturing
  perfect progressive

Past

• nurtured
  simple
• had nurtured
  perfect
• was nurturing
  progressive
• were nurturing
  progressive
• had been nurturing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will nurture
  simple
• will have nurtured
  perfect
• will be nurturing
  progressive
• will have been nurturing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of nurture

First recorded in 1300–50; (noun) Middle English norture, from Middle French, variant of nourriture, from Late Latin nūtrītūra “a nourishing,” equivalent to Latin nūtrīt(us) (past participle of nūtrīre “to feed”) + -ūra noun suffix; see nourish, -ure; (verb) derivative of the noun

Explanation

If you plant a seed, water it daily and give it lots of light, you nurture it until it is ready to be transplanted outside. When you nurture a person or thing, you care for it and help it to grow. After a fight with your friend, you may have to nurture the relationship a little until you're close again. Use the phrase "nature versus nurture" to help you remember the word. Nature is a baby just out of the womb. Nurture is how that baby is raised or taken care of. Once the child is older, you may wonder if its love of reading is nature or nurture — is it natural born or is it because you read to the baby every night.

Example Sentences

A major twin study is shedding new light on the long running debate over nature versus nurture, suggesting that genetics may play a far larger role in future success than many people realize.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

Rogie Vachon helped transform the Kings in the 1970s as the franchise established a presence in L.A. that would he would help build and nurture well beyond his playing days.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

Jones senior has helped nurture her younger namesake, putting on a one-on-one kicking session on a visit to Glantaf.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

People contemplating leaving the workforce should consider questions like: What hobbies or interests do they want to nurture?

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

If that is the case, beneath its surface ice Titan probably has oceans at various temperatures, including those that nurture life deep in the earth’s oceans.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins