nanny

¹ American  

[nan-ee] / ˈnæn i /

noun

plural

nannies

1. a person, usually with special training, employed to care for children in a household.

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Nanny ² American  

[nan-ee] / ˈnæn i /

noun

1. a female given name.

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nanny British  

/ ˈnænɪ /

noun

1. a nurse or nursemaid for children

2. 1. any person or thing regarded as treating people like children, esp by being patronizing or overprotective

   2. ( as modifier )

      the nanny state

3. a child's word for grandmother

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verb

1. (intr) to nurse or look after someone else's children

2. (tr) to be overprotective towards

Etymology

Origin of nanny

1785–95; nursery word; compare Welsh nain grandmother, Greek nánna aunt, Russian nyánya nursemaid

Explanation

A nanny is a full-time babysitter, someone whose job is taking care of a family's children. If you're a lucky kid, your nanny will be like Mary Poppins or Maria from "A Sound of Music." Being a nanny goes beyond hourly childcare — a nanny is usually the person who spends the most time with a baby or child. A nanny might feed, bathe, play with, and otherwise care for a toddler, or drive an older child to ballet lessons. Most nannies work in the child's home, sometimes even living there. A completely different definition of nanny is "female goat." The word's origin is probably as a nickname for Ann, a generic woman's name, though it's also traditionally used for "close female adult," such as an aunt.

Example Sentences

The Department of Homeland Security said it would investigate allegations that Rep. Eric Swalwell hired an undocumented nanny.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

When the gold medal was confirmed, she embraced her two boys, who are both deaf, and the nanny of her children.

From Salon • Feb. 18, 2026

“In the past, I had to pay nanny taxes, and every year TurboTax would ask me, ‘This is unusual, does this apply to you?’” says Keela Robison, TurboTax’s vice president of product management.

From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026

Jurors were told she lived some of the time in the UK where she was provided with a housekeeper, nanny, gardener and window cleaner.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

The Italian nanny was attempting to answer the teacher's latest question when the Moroccan student interrupted, shouting, "Excuse me, but what's an Easter?"

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

• au pair
• governess