nurture

[ nur-cher ]

/ ˈnɜr tʃər /

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See synonyms for: nurture / nurtured / nurturing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), nur·tured, nur·tur·ing.

to feed and protect: to nurture one's offspring.

to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development; foster: to nurture promising musicians.

to bring up; train; educate.

noun

rearing, upbringing, training, education, or the like.

development: the nurture of young artists.

something that nourishes; nourishment; food.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of nurture

First recorded in 1300–50; (noun) Middle English norture, from Middle French, variant of nourriture, from Late Latin nūtrītūra “a nourishing,” equivalent to Latin nūtrīt(us) (past participle of nūtrīre “to feed”) + -ūra noun suffix; see nourish, -ure; (verb) derivative of the noun

synonym study for nurture

1, 3. See nurse.

OTHER WORDS FROM nurture

nur·tur·a·ble, adjectivenur·ture·less, adjectivenur·tur·er, nounun·nur·tured, adjective

well-nur·tured, adjective

Words nearby nurture

nursing home, nursing mother, nursing officer, nursling, nurturance, nurture, nurturer, nurturing, NUS, Nusa Tenggara, Nusku

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nurture in a sentence

Part of what makes individuals unique are the combinations of genes and environmental influences that shape them — nature and nurture.
The Year in Biology|John Rennie|December 23, 2020|Quanta Magazine
I suggest dropping these folks into an email nurture campaign so that they are being engaged in an automated way until their behavior indicates that they are ready to be contacted by sales.
SMX Overtime: Eternal testing, the key to Facebook Ads success|Amy Bishop|December 21, 2020|Search Engine Land
Leading athletes benefit from a complex, and interrelated, mixture of nature and nurture.
Dissecting athletic greatness: Nature, nurture, lucky breaks and a ‘quiet eye’|Liz Robbins|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
As for the second question on nature versus nurture, this study can’t answer it.
Why Endurance Athletes Feel Less Pain|Alex Hutchinson|October 7, 2020|Outside Online

Instead of jumping into a seemingly endless academic scrum over “nature versus nurture,” they studied how children actually develop over years and decades.
‘The Origins of You’ explores how kids develop into their adult selves|Bruce Bower|September 16, 2020|Science News
Oddly you nurture it, it is part of you, and inescapably part of your past, present, and future.
Grief: The Real Monster in The Babadook|Tim Teeman|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Will asking for a barrel-aged Negroni help to nurture some European class?
Nationalism on Four Wheels|Clive Irving|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nature and nurture, genetics and family background all come into play.
Inside the Mind of an ISIS Jihadi|Jamie Dettmer|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For me, it bred the question of what nature and nurture can really do to someone.
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Uzo Aduba on Her Journey From Track Phenom to Crazy Eyes|Marlow Stern|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The two sides are not likely to reach agreement on this nature/nurture debate anytime soon.
Can the Gender Gap Be Solved?|Kay Hymowitz|April 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They troubled themselves with no theories of education, but mingled gentle nurture with “wholesome neglect.”
Eric, or Little by Little|Frederic W. Farrar
Anxious, to excess, to bring them up in orthodox nurture and admonition: and this is how they reward me, Herr Feldzeugmeister!
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. VII. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle
In making such a sacrifice they are but repaying the debt of nurture.
American Sketches|Charles Whibley
Sane, honorable evangelism never excludes Christian nurture any more than the sunlight obviates the necessity of soil cultivation.
The United Seas|Robert W. Rogers
If he does break silence it will probably be in terms of the religious cult that has given him nurture.
The Minister and the Boy|Allan Hoben

British Dictionary definitions for nurture

nurture

/ (ˈnɜːtʃə) /

noun

the act or process of promoting the development, etc, of a child

something that nourishes

biology the environmental factors that partly determine the structure of an organismSee also nature (def. 12)

verb (tr)

to feed or support

to educate or train

Derived forms of nurture

nurturable, adjectivenurturer, noun

Word Origin for nurture

C14: from Old French norriture, from Latin nutrīre to nourish

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

nurture

Origin of nurture

synonym study for nurture

OTHER WORDS FROM nurture

Words nearby nurture

Words related to nurture

How to use nurture in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nurture

Derived forms of nurture

Word Origin for nurture