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.
She also wants to foster a passion for reading in her kids, and allows them to not finish books they don't enjoy so reading doesn't become a "punishment".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Did Eustis, one of the key players in that vaunted movement — the man who helped foster “Hamilton” — really mean what he said?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
In a recent lament, the New York Times waves at unnamed “many experts” to say this was a sensible way to foster an EV industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
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
There would be no way for me to get Tabitha out of the foster home if my foster parents found out I had escaped from the camp.
From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau
Det Ch Insp Teresa Foster from the Met Police said she believed Lamplugh may have been targeted by a stalker.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Foster told the court: "The heartache that we have gone through is immense."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
"Bill was a multi-talented celebrity -- wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist," his agent David Foster said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Special correspondent Darren Foster contributed reporting from Brooklyn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
“That’s the spirit I like!” cried the Director, and clapped Mr. Foster on the shoulder.
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 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
"You really rely on each other and in a sense that fosters a lot of goodwill and it makes us quite close."
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 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
Genuine science and mathematical precision are more intriguing than are the “facts” published in supermarket tabloids or a romantic innumeracy which fosters credulity, stunts skepticism, and dulls one to real imponderables.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Ms. Willetts runs through various examples to make her case that the “organized rebellion” fostered by nightclubs often ignited cultural change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
She puts it down to being bullied because she was fostered by her grandparents and her life was "different to everyone else's".
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 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
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
Benjamin Franklin fostered the silk industry in Pennsylvania before the American Revolution.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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
Dozens of speakers railed against the mayor, police chief and company that provides the cameras for fostering a “dystopian hellscape.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 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
An event like FuelFest, Walker said, can be formative in fostering a lifelong passion and creative outlet for car-curious children.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 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
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.
