definitions

cherish

[ cher-ish ]
/ ˈtʃɛr ɪʃ /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cherish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to hold or treat as dear; feel love for: to cherish one's native land.
to care for tenderly; nurture: to cherish a child.
to cling fondly or inveterately to: to cherish a memory.

RELATED CONTENT

🎁 - Wrapped Present Emoji - Emoji by Dictionary.comRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE
mon chériRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

preserve, love, defend, harbor, treasure, appreciate, honor, admire, encourage, entertain, embrace, adore, cultivate, safeguard, worship, revere, enshrine, shield, fancy, guard

Nearby words

cherenkov radiation, cherepovets, cheribon, cherie, cherimoya, cherish, cherkassy, cherkess autonomous region, chernenko, chernigov, chernobyl

Origin of cherish

1275–1325; Middle English cherisshen < Middle French cheriss- (long stem of cherir), equivalent to cher dear (< Latin cārus) + -iss -ish2; akin to charity

Related forms

Synonym study

1, 2. Cherish, foster, harbor imply giving affection, care, or shelter to something. Cherish suggests regarding or treating something as an object of affection or as valuable: to cherish a friendship. Foster implies sustaining and nourishing something with care, especially in order to promote, increase, or strengthen it: to foster a hope; to foster enmity. Harbor suggests giving shelter to or entertaining something undesirable, especially evil thoughts or intentions: to harbor malice or a grudge.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cherishing

British Dictionary definitions for cherishing

cherish

/ (ˈtʃɛrɪʃ) /

verb (tr)

to show great tenderness for; treasure
to cling fondly to (a hope, idea, etc); nurseto cherish ambitions

Derived Forms

cherishable, adjectivecherisher, nouncherishingly, adverb

Word Origin for cherish

C14: from Old French cherir, from cher dear, from Latin cārus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012