Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

day nursery

American  

noun

  1. a nursery for the care of small children during the day, especially while their parents are at work.

day nursery British  

noun

  1. Also called (US, Canadian, Austral, and NZ): daycare centre.  social welfare an establishment offering daycare to preschool children, enabling their parents to work full time or have extended relief if child care is a problem

"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

Etymology

Origin of day nursery

First recorded in 1835–45

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.

At Petite Feet, a private day nursery in Newtownabbey, Country Antrim, tablets and TVs are not part of the daily agenda.

From BBC • May 26, 2025

In the 1920s, the league opened a day nursery and operated the only stereotyping machine in the western United States to mass-produce metal Braille plates for the blind.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 18, 2024

The day nursery – with a theme of Jack and the Beanstalk – has the terrifying giant coming out of the chimney.

From The Guardian • Jul. 8, 2018

They set off from their home at 09:00 BST to go to a day nursery in nearby Holland Road but did not arrive.

From BBC • Aug. 14, 2017

The adjoining day nursery was where they would eat, play, and do their lessons.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.