foster
verb (used with object)
to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage.
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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
-
to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage.
to foster new ideas.
- Antonyms:
- discourage
-
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?
-
to care for or cherish.
-
British. to place (a child) in a foster home.
-
Obsolete. to feed or nourish.
Foster
2
American
[faw-ster, fos-ter]
/ ˈfɔ stər, ˈfɒs tər /
noun
-
Stephen (Collins), 1826–64, U.S. songwriter.
-
William Z(ebulon) 1881–1961, U.S. labor organizer: leader in the Communist Party.
-
a male given name.
foster
1
British
/ ˈfɒstə /
verb
-
to promote the growth or development of
-
to bring up (a child, etc); rear
-
to cherish (a plan, hope, etc) in one's mind
-
-
to place (a child) in the care of foster parents
-
to bring up under fosterage
-
adjective
-
(in combination) indicating relationship through fostering and not through birth
foster mother
foster child
-
(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
-
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)
-
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)
-
Stephen Collins . 1826–64, US composer of songs such as The Old Folks at Home and Oh Susanna
Synonym Usage
See cherish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fostersimple
-
fosterssimple
-
have fosteredperfect
-
has fosteredperfect
-
am fosteringprogressive
-
are fosteringprogressive
-
is fosteringprogressive
-
have been fosteringperfect progressive
-
has been fosteringperfect progressive
Past
-
fosteredsimple
-
had fosteredperfect
-
was fosteringprogressive
-
were fosteringprogressive
-
had been fosteringperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing foster
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It's All in the Family
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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:
But many have been shipped to zoos around the world as apart of Beijing's decades-long "panda diplomacy" program to foster foreign ties.
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026
Jackson entered the race in February and presented himself as a political outsider who had grown up in Georgia's foster care system.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
If you are interested in becoming a foster carer, contact your local fostering service.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
“He needs a foster home with a special rescue group that will allow him to rest and relax before moving on to his next chapter,” the shelter’s statement read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
“The McKays. They’re nice. Not a typical foster family. They’re like a real family. Three kids. Mom and dad.”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Placed next to her at a dinner party, the Irish historian Roy Foster began telling her how much he liked her novels and was instantly cut short.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Lyndsi Foster saw a TikTok video about the cruise last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
He played alongside David Foster in the band for the original “Rocky Horror” stage show and took a job once held by Barry Manilow to serve as Bette Midler’s musical director.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
However, Foster stayed in the city after the split.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Henry Foster had had his machine wheeled out of its lockup and, when Lenina arrived, was already seated in the cockpit, waiting.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
But instead of the traditional cutthroat audition setting, where every actor silently sizes up the competition, the Brook Arts Center fosters a warm environment.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Along with giving tweens and teens something to look forward to, recess encourages movement, builds social confidence, and fosters a sense of community, which are all vital to healthy development.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
California has kitten season twice per year on average because of the moderate temperatures, often overwhelming shelter systems and fosters between March and October.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 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
"I didn't mean to offend. It's just, I like to lead a carefree life. I suppose being on the water fosters that sort of temperament. The God of the Sea has no allegiances."
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
The growing attractiveness of Madrid has fostered an influx of wealth, especially in real estate -- but the bonanza has come at a cost.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
These sanitized accounts ignored the homemade dangers, such as the health problems fostered by an overstretched military — realities many children would face when a changed parent finally came home.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
It was all the more jarring because elsewhere Nordqvist had unmistakably fostered that famed European spirit which so often permeates through Solheim and Ryder Cup successes.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Sepulveda was a foster parent and fostered approximately 90 children over the years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
His diabetes damaged his circulatory system and fostered a foot infection that bedeviled him for the rest of his life.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Another obstacle to fostering is societal change in families, she said.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Institutions also play a role in fostering that love, too.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
That means fostering investment, raising productivity and enabling wage growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
"Now is the time to come forward and join fostering, because it is changing and it is improving."
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
One of the ways of fostering creativity is to encourage students’ improvisation.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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