nurture
verb (used with object)
to feed and protect.
had nurtured
-
past perfectof nurture.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
The only sorrow came when it was time to part ways with the hairy creature she had nurtured during the experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026
Tarik Kafala, acting director of the BBC World Service, said he was delighted that the Komla Dumor Award had nurtured the careers of several journalists across the continent.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2024
A cattleman with owlish glasses and a pinched smile, the real Hale had nurtured such close relations with the local Native American population that he was revered, Grann writes, “as King of the Osage Hills.”
From New York Times ● May 20, 2023
They cited the extreme weather that preceded it: Abnormally high levels of snow and rain in spring and summer had nurtured abundant 4-foot grasses that baked to a crisp during a historically dry fall.
From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2022
From the outset, some in the Washington shell house felt that by agreeing to go to Cal, Ebright had betrayed the institution that had nurtured him.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
