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.

---

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

---

verb

1. to feed or support

2. to educate or train

Synonym Usage

See nurse.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have nurtured
  perfect
• has nurtured
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are nurturing
  progressive
• am nurturing
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been nurturing
  perfect progressive
• has been nurturing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is nurturing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• nurturing
  participle
• nurtures
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had nurtured
  perfect
• was nurturing
  progressive singular
• were nurturing
  progressive plural
• had been nurturing
  perfect progressive
• nurtured
  simple
• nurtured
  participle

Future

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

The way you approached this dinner “didn’t set anyone up for success,” says Anna Goldfarb, author of “Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections.”

From MarketWatch • Jan. 28, 2026

It’s a simple message, but “Folktales” sells it: Nurture via nature.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025

Pottery class at Ballard Clay Nurture their creative side with a class, class series or membership to Ballard Clay, which offers everything from intro nights to 6-week sessions for novices and potters alike.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2023

The Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act intends to restrict the production and distribution of AI-generated imitations without people’s consent, according to the four senators.

From Washington Times • Oct. 13, 2023

In a paper titled “The Nature and Nurture of Economic Outcomes,” the economist Bruce Sacerdote addressed the nature- nurture debate by taking a long-term quantitative look at the effects of parenting.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt