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• foster
  foster

  verb (used with object)

  to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage.
• Foster
  Foster

  noun

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

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

1. to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage.

   to foster new ideas.

   Synonyms:

   instigate, foment, advance, forward, favor

   Antonyms:

   discourage

2. 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?

   Synonyms:

   maintain, support, sustain, nourish, nurse

3. to care for or cherish.

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

5. Obsolete. to feed or nourish.

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Foster ² American  

[faw-ster, fos-ter] / ˈfɔ stər, ˈfɒs tər /

noun

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

2. William Z(ebulon) 1881–1961, U.S. labor organizer: leader in the Communist Party.

3. a male given name.

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foster ¹ British  

/ ˈfɒstə /

verb

1. to promote the growth or development of

2. to bring up (a child, etc); rear

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

4. 1. to place (a child) in the care of foster parents

   2. to bring up under fosterage

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adjective

1. (in combination) indicating relationship through fostering and not through birth

   foster mother

   foster child

2. (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

1. 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)

2. 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)

3. Stephen Collins . 1826–64, US composer of songs such as The Old Folks at Home and Oh Susanna

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Synonym Usage

See cherish.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fosterer
  noun
• fostering
  noun
• unfostering
  adjective
• fosteringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• fostering
  present
• fostered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• foster
  simple
• fosters
  simple
• have fostered
  perfect
• has fostered
  perfect
• am fostering
  progressive
• are fostering
  progressive
• is fostering
  progressive
• have been fostering
  perfect progressive
• has been fostering
  perfect progressive

Past

• fostered
  simple
• had fostered
  perfect
• was fostering
  progressive
• were fostering
  progressive
• had been fostering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will foster
  simple
• will have fostered
  perfect
• will be fostering
  progressive
• will have been fostering
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foster Foster fosters fostered fostering

John-Baptiste recalled his own experience of turning 18 and moving out of the last of four foster homes he'd lived in.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

"Today's action will help foster additional investment in Syria to promote political and economic stability," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Children who attend Head Start are more likely to graduate and secure stable employment and less likely to enter foster care.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

In the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to mull over other ways to help foster an appreciation for delayed gratification — in ways you’d be able to see and appreciate while you’re alive.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

“And speaking of parties, I must go, for I have a luncheon engagement at a charming French café in town. Bonne chance on your expedition, little foster children!”

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

Natalie McDonald, 34, died along with her seven-year-old niece, Valentina Foster, in the blaze in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, in the early hours of Wednesday.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

A snake named after the Hollywood star Jodie Foster has made a full recovery after receiving cancer treatment normally used in humans.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Lead author and Monash PhD candidate Sam Foster from the School of Physics and Astronomy said the results create opportunities to investigate entirely new quantum states.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

Her appointment, which she said follows a two-year transition during which then-CEO James Foster let her basically run things, comes as the company appears on an upswing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

But the Director’s face, as he entered the Fertilizing Room with Henry Foster, was grave, wooden with severity.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

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

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

He believes the model fosters leadership development across the firm, where successful managers delivering high returns have autonomy and resources to scale their respective businesses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

The back-and-forth fosters confusion but also distrust, she said: "It further perpetuates the myth of like, the sketchy abortion doctor in the back alley."

From Barron's ● May 10, 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

Sepulveda was a foster parent and fostered approximately 90 children over the years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

While these policies reflected an important step forward in overseeing high-risk research, they still fostered a culture of belief that some risks were worth taking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“Not only the long-awaited championship, but the likability of the team has really fostered a new generation of fans,” says Marangi.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

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

Newsome Park was an outsize replica of virtually every Negro community in the South, where racial segregation fostered economic integration.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

"One of the things that she was so good at was creating community and fostering collaborations, and this is yet another way she continues to give us those gifts, even after her passing."

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Controversy surrounding data center construction has roiled Texas in recent months, fostering a bipartisan coalition of opposition, particularly among rural and suburban residents.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026

“We are committed to fostering a culture of responsible gaming and protecting our customers,” the statement said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

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

But as new knowledge accumulated, the printing press instead of fostering scepticism began to make possible a new type of confidence.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton