NURTURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does nurture mean? 

• NURTURE (noun)
  The noun NURTURE has 2 senses:

1. the properties acquired as a consequence of the way you were treated as a child

2. helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community

  Familiarity information: NURTURE used as a noun is rare.

• NURTURE (verb)
  The verb NURTURE has 3 senses:

1. help develop, help grow

2. look after a child until it is an adult

3. provide with nourishment

  Familiarity information: NURTURE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• NURTURE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The properties acquired as a consequence of the way you were treated as a child

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

nurture; raising; rearing

Hypernyms ("nurture" is a kind of...):

upbringing (properties acquired during a person's formative years)

Derivation:

nurture (help develop, help grow)

nurture (look after a child until it is an adult)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

breeding; bringing up; fosterage; fostering; nurture; raising; rearing; upbringing

Context example:

they debated whether nature or nurture was more important

Hypernyms ("nurture" is a kind of...):

acculturation; enculturation; socialisation; socialization (the adoption of the behavior patterns of the surrounding culture)

Derivation:

nurtural (resulting from nurture)

nurture (help develop, help grow)

nurture (look after a child until it is an adult)

• NURTURE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they nurture    ... he / she / it nurtures   
Past simple: nurtured   
Past participle: nurtured   
-ing form: nurturing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Help develop, help grow

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

foster; nurture

Context example:

nurture his talents

Hypernyms (to "nurture" is one way to...):

encourage (inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "nurture"):

keep going; patronage; patronise; patronize; support (be a regular customer or client of)

serve; serve well (promote, benefit, or be useful or beneficial to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

nurture (helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community)

nurture (the properties acquired as a consequence of the way you were treated as a child)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Look after a child until it is an adult

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

bring up; nurture; parent; raise; rear

Context example:

bring up children

Cause:

grow up (become an adult)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "nurture"):

fledge (feed, care for, and rear young birds for flight)

cradle (bring up from infancy)

foster (bring up under fosterage; of children)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

nurture (helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community)

nurture (the properties acquired as a consequence of the way you were treated as a child)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Provide with nourishment

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

nourish; nurture; sustain

Context example:

This kind of food is not nourishing for young children

Hypernyms (to "nurture" is one way to...):

cater; ply; provide; supply (give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "nurture"):

carry (be able to feed)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

nurturance (physical and emotional care and nourishment)

 Context examples 

If you are truly interested in finding love or nurturing the love you have already found, this is the month, for this is the best time of 2020 to be with your one truelove.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

RPE cells nurture photoreceptors, the light-sensing cells in the retina.

(Researchers rescue photoreceptors, prevent blindness in animal models of retinal degeneration, National Institutes of Health)

The team analyzed whether mothers responded to their baby’s cries by showing affection, distracting, nurturing (like feeding or diapering), picking up and holding, or talking.

(Study identifies brain patterns underlying mothers’ responses to infant cries, National Institutes of Health)

He is a cripple in the sense that he walks with a limp; but in other respects he appears to be a powerful and well-nurtured man.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

When sprayed directly onto the skin or scalp, this topical spray may have a calming, moisturizing, healing and nurturing effect.

(Evaux Spring Water-based Topical Spray, NCI Thesaurus)

“Be silent, you! Look at me, I say, proud mother of a proud, false son! Moan for your nurture of him, moan for your corruption of him, moan for your loss of him, moan for mine!”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

In some countries we know the tree that sheds its leaf is the variety, but that does not make it less amazing that the same soil and the same sun should nurture plants differing in the first rule and law of their existence.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Of course, you must do your part by showing the universe your intent to find love or to nurture the love you’ve already found.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

I trust I rendered tolerably intelligible my appointment for the morning of this day week, at the house of public entertainment at Canterbury, where Mrs. Micawber and myself had once the honour of uniting our voices to yours, in the well-known strain of the Immortal exciseman nurtured beyond the Tweed.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Your partner seems to exhibit Capricorn personality traits (but not necessarily be a Capricorn), being less emotional than you but also far less nurturing and compassionate than you’d like.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)