nurture

American  

[nur-cher] / ˈnɜr tʃər /

verb (used with object)

nurtures, present (3rd person singular) nurtured, past participle, past nurturing present participle

1. to feed and protect.

   to nurture one's offspring.

2. to support and encourage, as during the period of training or development; foster.

   to nurture promising musicians.

3. to bring up; train; educate.

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noun

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

2. development.

   the nurture of young artists.

3. something that nourishes; nourishment; food.

nurture British  

/ ˈnɜːtʃə /

noun

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

2. something that nourishes

3. biology the environmental factors that partly determine the structure of an organism See also nature

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verb

1. to feed or support

2. to educate or train

Synonym Usage

See nurse.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• well-nurtured
  adjective
• nurtureless
  adjective
• nurturable
  adjective
• nurturer
  noun
• unnurtured
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has nurtured
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have nurtured
  perfect
• have been nurturing
  perfect progressive
• has been nurturing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• is nurturing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are nurturing
  progressive
• nurturing
  participle
• nurtures
  singular 3rd person
• am nurturing
  progressive 1st person singular

Past

• had nurtured
  perfect
• were nurturing
  progressive plural
• was nurturing
  progressive singular
• had been nurturing
  perfect progressive
• nurtured
  simple
• nurtured
  participle

Future

• will nurture
  simple
• will have nurtured
  perfect
• will be nurturing
  progressive
• will have been nurturing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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

Explanation

If you plant a seed, water it daily and give it lots of light, you nurture it until it is ready to be transplanted outside. When you nurture a person or thing, you care for it and help it to grow. After a fight with your friend, you may have to nurture the relationship a little until you're close again. Use the phrase "nature versus nurture" to help you remember the word. Nature is a baby just out of the womb. Nurture is how that baby is raised or taken care of. Once the child is older, you may wonder if its love of reading is nature or nurture — is it natural born or is it because you read to the baby every night.

Example Sentences

The EU has come under increased pressure to nurture its own cloud sector to counter U.S. tech dominance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

Phil’s influence, many orchestras everywhere now compete for the latest wunderkind hoping to capitalize on the youth movement rather than slowly nurture a rare ability.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

A major twin study is shedding new light on the long running debate over nature versus nurture, suggesting that genetics may play a far larger role in future success than many people realize.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

Jones senior has helped nurture her younger namesake, putting on a one-on-one kicking session on a visit to Glantaf.

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026

She saw grief-stricken children in desperate need, and every instinct within her impelled her to sweep them into her arms and nurture them.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown