nanny
noun
a person, usually with special training, employed to care for children in a household.
nanny
1 American
[nan-ee]
/ ˈnæn i /
noun
-
nannies
plural
Nanny
2
American
[nan-ee]
/ ˈnæn i /
noun
nanny
British
/ ˈnænɪ /
noun
-
a nurse or nursemaid for children
-
-
any person or thing regarded as treating people like children, esp by being patronizing or overprotective
-
( as modifier )
the nanny state
-
-
a child's word for grandmother
verb
-
(intr) to nurse or look after someone else's children
-
(tr) to be overprotective towards
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
This is also possible because they have a nanny to take them from one place to another while the parents work.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Carroll, who also played in the Premier League for Liverpool and West Ham, called the police and was "sobbing" in the arms of his children's nanny.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
If we’re giving parents money for childcare, it does indeed seem fair to allow that money to support at-home care too, whether the carer is the child’s parent or a nanny.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
Shortly after launch, their nanny at a nearby Airbnb shared a video of their two kids, ages 5 and 1, watching, too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
“What is the meaning of this dreadful din?” barked the nanny in a fearful voice.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
Later in life, Law provided the voice of Mrs Partridge in Dame Emma's 2005 film Nanny McPhee, which her eldest daughter wrote and starred in.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Astin succeeds The Nanny series star Fran Drescher, who steered the organization through the Hollywood strikes of 2023 during her four-year tenure.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025
The women taking Hidalgo’s course as part of We Rise Nanny Training in Brooklyn have no intention of being defenseless.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
In the light of your role leading this strike, a clip from an episode of "The Nanny" has resurfaced where your character refuses to cross a picket line.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2023
“Me, married? Naw, Nanny, no ma’am! Whut Ah know ’bout uh husband?”
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
The mansion allegedly had 32 motion-activated cameras which Hochman said were used by the couple to monitor the discipline given by the nannies.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
While healing from their losses, they hustled, working as caregivers, nannies, Uber drivers and house cleaners.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
He has placed nannies because they had experience working on yachts or could tolerate helicopter travel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Once procured, the infants were taken to a house in Pontianak where they were taken care of by hired nannies.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
She fired the nannies without an extra day’s pay.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
