nurse
Americannoun
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nurses
plural
-
a person formally educated and trained in the care of the sick or infirm.
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a woman who has the general care of a child or children; dry nurse.
-
a woman employed to suckle an infant; wet nurse.
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any fostering agency or influence.
-
Entomology. a worker that attends the young in a colony of social insects.
-
Billiards. the act of maintaining the position of billiard balls in preparation for a carom.
verb (used with object)
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nurses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
nursed,
past participle, past
-
nursing
present participle
-
to tend or minister to in sickness, infirmity, etc.
- Antonyms:
- neglect
-
to try to cure (an ailment) by taking care of oneself.
to nurse a cold.
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to look after carefully so as to promote growth, development, etc.; foster; cherish.
to nurse one's meager talents.
- Antonyms:
- neglect
-
to treat or handle with adroit care in order to further one's own interests.
to nurse one's nest egg.
-
to use, consume, or dispense very slowly or carefully.
He nursed the one drink all evening.
-
to keep steadily in mind or memory.
He nursed a grudge against me all the rest of his life.
-
to suckle (an infant).
-
to feed and tend in infancy.
-
to bring up, train, or nurture.
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to clasp or handle carefully or fondly.
to nurse a plate of food on one's lap.
-
Billiards. to maintain the position of (billiard balls) for a series of caroms.
verb (used without object)
-
nurses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
nursed,
past participle, past
-
nursing
present participle
-
to suckle a child, especially one's own.
-
(of a child) to suckle.
The child did not nurse after he was three months old.
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to act as nurse; tend the sick or infirm.
noun
-
a person who tends the sick, injured, or infirm
-
short for nursemaid
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a woman employed to breast-feed another woman's child; wet nurse
-
a worker in a colony of social insects that takes care of the larvae
verb
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(also intr) to tend (the sick)
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(also intr) to feed (a baby) at the breast; suckle
-
to try to cure (an ailment)
-
to clasp carefully or fondly
she nursed the crying child in her arms
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(also intr) (of a baby) to suckle at the breast (of)
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to look after (a child) as one's employment
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to attend to carefully; foster, cherish
he nursed the magazine through its first year
having a very small majority he nursed the constituency diligently
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to harbour; preserve
to nurse a grudge
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billiards to keep (the balls) together for a series of cannons
Usage
What does nurse mean? A nurse is someone who has been formally trained and educated to tend to the sick and infirm, as in The nurse double-checked the dosage of drugs the cancer patient was receiving. Related to this sense, nurse can be used to mean to tend to a person who is sick, infirm, or injured, as in The father nursed his daughter while she was sick with chickenpox. Nurse can also mean to take care of oneself to try to cure something, as in Jonah was nursing a cold last week. Nurse is also used to mean to breast-feed a baby, as in The mother cat nursed her litter of kittens. And nurse can mean to look after something carefully or to cherish something, as in Pat nursed her new company through the recession. Example: My brother went to school to be a nurse and is now working at the local hospital.
Synonym Usage
Nurse, nourish, nurture may be used almost interchangeably to refer to bringing up the young. Nurse, however, suggests attendance and service; nourish emphasizes providing whatever is needful for development; and nurture suggests tenderness and solicitude in training mind and manners.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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nursesimple
-
nursessimple
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have nursedperfect
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has nursedperfect
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am nursingprogressive
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are nursingprogressive
-
is nursingprogressive
-
have been nursingperfect progressive
-
has been nursingperfect progressive
Past
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nursedsimple
-
had nursedperfect
-
was nursingprogressive
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were nursingprogressive
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had been nursingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of nurse
First recorded before 1350–1400; (noun) Middle English, variant of n(o)urice, norice, from Old French, from Late Latin nūtrīcia, noun use of feminine of Latin nūtrīcius nutritious; (verb) earlier nursh (reduced form of nourish ), assimilated to the noun
Explanation
A nurse is a trained healthcare worker who takes care of sick people. To nurse is to take care of, like if you nurse a baby bird back to health. To become a nurse, you have to go to college and study subjects like anatomy and nutrition. Some nurses assist doctors and perform tasks like bathing patients, taking blood samples, or giving medication. When you use the word nurse as a verb, it means "care for," and also "breastfeed a baby." The Latin root, nutrire, means "to nourish." To nurse a drink is to drink it slowly, and to nurse an idea is to mull it over.
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:
The former paediatric nurse has been out of work for about two and a half years because of her symptoms.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Mayli Villalobos, a 34-year-old soprano and nurse, arrives at the practice after a 12-hour hospital shift.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
This anatomical development helped make it possible to swallow while maintaining the ability to breathe, an essential adaptation for mammals that nurse their young.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
A nurse calling for the spiritual care team to visit quietly with the mother of a dying child.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Incorrigibles, tell Mrs. Clarke to send the rest of the applicants away. We’ve found our baby nurse, by gum!”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
"Our hope is that they would be equipped with oxygen, nurses, and everything needed. So, if there are children who fall ill, they can be treated there. That's what we really want."
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
US media reported at the time that the actress was screaming uncontrollably and that nurses had to prop her up with a pillow and give her oxygen to calm down.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Physicians are barred by the American Medical Association’s ethics code from participating in executions; similar constraints apply to nurses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
They scheduled and attended appointments, helped coordinate transportation and childcare, communicated with doctors and nurses, and helped patients make sense of complicated medical information.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
The nurses and doctors and other hospital workers had to rush on to the next patients, the ones who could still be saved.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The bird, affectionately nicknamed Kinky because of the kink in its broken wing, was nursed back to health by its two, unusually caring parents.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
She nursed a swollen ankle after falling in the evacuation centre.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“As a mom who nursed two babies, I know the stress of traveling when babies get hungry,” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025
They don't need to: the pups will happily take turns being nursed from the same mammary gland, and this devoted and well-cared-for mother spends plenty of time with each of her many, many beloved children.
From Salon ● May 11, 2025
The women who could do so nursed the infants of women whose milk had dried up.
From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat
By supporting effective nursing, this adaptation provided an important survival advantage.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Kessler, the Lakers’ big acquisition at center from the Utah Jazz, has been nursing a finger injury he sustained after hitting the backboard during practice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The Seasons of Life workshops have been delivered in post-primary schools by a multi-disciplinary team, including specialist school nursing, paediatric psychology, the Southern Trust's bereavement co-ordinator and Cruse bereavement support services.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
But even if they did decide to avail of Medicaid for outpatient care or nursing home care, they should not assume that Medicaid will be available on whatever terms they expect.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
I knew all too well that once Daisy had gotten into one of her Red Cross nursing spells, it was ridiculous to even think of trying to argue her out of it.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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