nanny
noun
a person, usually with special training, employed to care for children in a household.
nanny
1 American
[nan-ee]
/ ˈnæn i /
noun
-
nannies
plural
Nanny
2
American
[nan-ee]
/ ˈnæn i /
noun
nanny
British
/ ˈnænɪ /
noun
-
a nurse or nursemaid for children
-
-
any person or thing regarded as treating people like children, esp by being patronizing or overprotective
-
( as modifier )
the nanny state
-
-
a child's word for grandmother
verb
-
(intr) to nurse or look after someone else's children
-
(tr) to be overprotective towards
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nanny
1785–95; nursery word; compare Welsh nain grandmother, Greek nánna aunt, Russian nyánya nursemaid
Explanation
A nanny is a full-time babysitter, someone whose job is taking care of a family's children. If you're a lucky kid, your nanny will be like Mary Poppins or Maria from "A Sound of Music." Being a nanny goes beyond hourly childcare — a nanny is usually the person who spends the most time with a baby or child. A nanny might feed, bathe, play with, and otherwise care for a toddler, or drive an older child to ballet lessons. Most nannies work in the child's home, sometimes even living there. A completely different definition of nanny is "female goat." The word's origin is probably as a nickname for Ann, a generic woman's name, though it's also traditionally used for "close female adult," such as an aunt.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
This is also possible because they have a nanny to take them from one place to another while the parents work.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
They’re not a house cleaner and they’re more than a nanny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
If we’re giving parents money for childcare, it does indeed seem fair to allow that money to support at-home care too, whether the carer is the child’s parent or a nanny.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
Hindle, who previously worked as a nanny and nursery nurse, now hopes to work in a school and said it was all "part of a journey".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“She is the former nanny of little Lord Sandown,” I replied.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
Later in life, Law provided the voice of Mrs Partridge in Dame Emma's 2005 film Nanny McPhee, which her eldest daughter wrote and starred in.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The women taking Hidalgo’s course as part of We Rise Nanny Training in Brooklyn have no intention of being defenseless.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
He has also acted in television shows such as The Nanny, Glee and Awkwafina is Nora from Queens.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2024
"The Nanny" veteran's speech fired up the 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members going on strike after 98% of the union's membership authorized the action in June.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2023
Then she went to see Nanny in Mrs. Wash-burn’s kitchen on the day for beaten biscuits.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
While healing from their losses, they hustled, working as caregivers, nannies, Uber drivers and house cleaners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Alexandra Fine, a mother of three young children, spends about $85,000 a year on a team of seven that includes nannies, a home organizer, a handyman and a virtual assistant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Aviv reports on Filipina women who move to the United States to work as nannies and send money home to their families.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Along with day camp and traditional day care, the credit can be used for expenses such as nannies and babysitters, said Andy Phillips, vice president of the Tax Institute at H&R Block.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
I tell her how back in Cuba the nannies used to think I was possessed.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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