to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage.
to foster new ideas.
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.
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.
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
(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
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
See cherish.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English fōstor “nourishment,” fōstrian “to nourish”; cognate with Old Norse fōstr; akin to food
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In making the change, he said he hoped “to foster a public conversation about what the Fed is doing to support a strong and resilient economy.‘
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Albanese praised Modi's leadership on Thursday for helping foster stronger ties between the two nations.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
The idea was to embed prevention specialists within targeting teams and foster a culture that prioritizes civilian security in accordance with U.S. law and international rules of war.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
When a psychologically damaged mute boy named Simon breaks into her tower, she is pulled into his life as well as that of his Maori foster father, Joe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
“Your foster parents have been called. You’ll be back with them soon. We’re waiting for your clothes.”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Bristol-based refrigeration expert Dr Alan Foster said the appliances were "designed decades ago in a much cooler world".
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
In a testing lab in Lower Langford, Somerset, Foster runs experiments to see how fridges cope with rising temperatures.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
“This was a concerted effort to stay under the radar, and it indicates the cat-and-mouse game that we’re involved in,” said Jacob Foster, acting chief of the Justice Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
After Foster told him the raw mix had been erased, Davis took the digital audio tape copy he had kept and had it mastered and released to radio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
My breathing seemed so loud I was sure Mr. Foster could hear me through the classroom wall.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
It’s a tedious spin on a Wolverine movie Jackman has already made, 2017’s “Logan,” in which his mythic anti-heroic X-Man fosters a ferocious moppet en route to the grave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
He recently volunteered to chair the social club, believing it fosters much-needed community spirit.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
Not being able to take dogs out of their kennels made it harder for fosters and rescuers to determine whether they were suitable for rescue, some said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
For decades she has argued that Venezuelan economic development and a Caracas foreign policy that fosters peace in the region require democracy, open competition and the rule of law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
Mark and Linda were good people, had been his fosters for almost two years, and Joaquin liked them.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
He did not specify the targets but a statement by the ruling party said the president had observed that the government fostered corruption and failed to diversify the economy.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
After serving as a commissioner for tennis during the 1984 Olympic Games in the city, Burke said he was overwhelmed by the sense of community and excitement that the international sporting event fostered.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026
He possessed the rare courage to challenge systems and programs that fostered dependence rather than truly empowering the people they aimed to help.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Outgoing Prime Minister Orban fostered strong ties, making Hungary a key European hub for Chinese manufacturing.
From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026
“I remember everything. The caravan was like a small city—Tribe Saif is dozens of families strong. I was fostered by the tribe s Kehanni, Mamie Rila.”
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
This includes the care system, fostering and adoption practices, related institutions such as "baby homes", private nursing homes, and cross-border and international transfers of women and children.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Ultimately, Dr. Barish argues that helping children thrive depends less on teaching specific skills and more on fostering emotional strength, confidence, and meaningful relationships.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026
French AI firm Mistral on Thursday announced partnerships with carmaker BMW and aerospace company Airbus as it aims to boost its growth by fostering links with defence and industry giants.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
How much credit can venture capitalists claim for fostering and sustaining that?
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
"He was planning to send the boy to Dragonstone for fostering, you know . . . oh, but I'm speaking out of turn."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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.
