foster

[faw-ster, fos-ter]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR foster ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage: to foster new ideas.

to bring up, raise, or rear, as a foster child.

to care for or cherish.

British. to place (a child) in a foster home.

Obsolete. to feed or nourish.

Origin of foster

before 1000; Middle English; Old English fōstor nourishment, fōstrian to nourish; cognate with Old Norse fōstr; akin to food

Related formsfos·ter·er, nounfos·ter·ing·ly, adverbun·fos·tered, adjectiveun·fos·ter·ing, adjective

Synonyms for foster

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR foster ON THESAURUS.COM

1. favor, forward, advance; foment, instigate. 2. nurse, nourish, sustain, support, maintain.

Synonym study

3. See cherish.

Antonyms for foster

1. discourage.

Foster

[faw-ster, fos-ter]

noun

Stephen (Collins),1826–64, U.S. songwriter.

William Z(eb·u·lon)

[zeb-yuh-luh n] /ˈzɛb yə lən/, 1881–1961, U.S. labor organizer: leader in the Communist Party.

a male given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for foster

feed, advance, champion, uphold, harbor, cherish, serve, back, encourage, nurse, forward, further, nurture, stimulate, cultivate, foment, nourish, raise, favor, oblige

Examples from the Web for foster

Contemporary Examples of foster

A grand jury investigated but found Foster had broken no law.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise
Jason Berry
January 3, 2015
At any rate, policy can enforce equal rights and foster equal opportunity.
No Gods, No Cops, No Masters
James Poulos
January 1, 2015
But he shares with Foster Wallace a gift for exactitude, erudition, and moral concern.
Charles D’Ambrosio’s X-Ray Vision Is On Full Display In His New Essay Collection.
Steve Almond
November 14, 2014
His non-fiction fills, or helps to fill, the void left by Foster Wallace.
Charles D’Ambrosio’s X-Ray Vision Is On Full Display In His New Essay Collection.
Steve Almond
November 14, 2014
During August and September, UNICEF had helped 700 children find a parent or extended family or placed a child in foster care.
The Life of a Liberian Child with Ebola
Sarah Crowe
November 5, 2014

Historical Examples of foster

The Foster was bound to Belfast, which port we reached without any accident.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
“We'll go over to Mr. Foster's as soon as it is dark,” said Mrs. Dare.
The Dare Boys of 1776
Stephen Angus Cox
“Mrs. Foster and the girls will come over often,” said Dick.
The Dare Boys of 1776
Stephen Angus Cox
There is much in our country to create and foster this sentiment.
Christopher Columbus and His Monument Columbia
Various
And daring you may foster in your hearts as much as we in ours.
Cyropaedia
Xenophon

British Dictionary definitions for foster

foster

verb (tr)

to promote the growth or development of

to bring up (a child, etc); rear

to cherish (a plan, hope, etc) in one's mind

mainly British

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 birthfoster mother; foster child

(in combination) of or involved in the rearing of a child by persons other than his natural or adopted parentsfoster home

Derived Formsfosterer, nounfostering, noun

Word Origin for foster

Old English fōstrian to feed, from fōstor food

Foster

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

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

Word Origin and History for foster

Old English *fostrian "to supply with food, nourish, support," from fostor "food, nourishment, bringing up," from Proto-Germanic *fostrom, from root *foth-/*fod- (see food).

Meaning "to bring up a child with parental care" is from c.1200; that of "to encourage or help grow" is early 13c. of things; 1560s of feelings, ideas, etc. Old English also had the adjective meaning "in the same family but not related," in fostorfæder, etc. Related: Fostered; fostering.