- the act or process of promoting the development, etc, of a child
- something that nourishes
- to feed or support
- to educate or train
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
nur•ture /ˈnɜrtʃɚ/USA pronunciation
v., -tured, -tur•ing, n.
v. [~ + object]
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026v. [~ + object]
- to feed;
supply with nourishment. - to encourage or provide moral support:He nurtured his students in their studies.
- to bring up;
train;
educate.
n. [uncountable]
- upbringing;
training;
education;
development:providing for the nurture of young artists. - something that nourishes;
nourishment;
food.
nur•ture
(nûr′chər),USA pronunciation v., -tured, -tur•ing, n.
v.t.
n.
nur′tur•a•ble, adj.
nur′ture•less, adj.
nur′tur•er, n.
v.t.
- 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.
n.
- rearing, upbringing, training, education, or the like.
- development:the nurture of young artists.
- something that nourishes;
nourishment;
food.
- Late Latin nūtrītūra a nourishing, equivalent. to Latin nūtrīt(us) (past participle of nūtrīre to feed, nourish) + -ūra -ure; (verb, verbal) derivative of the noun, nominal
- Middle French, variant of nourriture
- (noun, nominal) Middle English norture 1300–50
nur′ture•less, adj.
nur′tur•er, n.
- 1. 3. See nurse.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
nurture /ˈnɜːtʃə/ n
'nurture' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):