nurse

1 of 2

noun

1
: a person who cares for the sick or infirm
specifically : a licensed health-care professional who practices independently or is supervised by a physician, surgeon, or dentist and who is skilled in promoting and maintaining health compare licensed practical nurse, registered nurse
2
a
: a woman who suckles an infant not her own : wet nurse
b
: a woman who takes care of a young child : dry nurse
3
: one that looks after, fosters, or advises
Time is the nurse and breeder of all good.Shakespeare
4
a
: a worker form of a social (see social entry 1 sense 4b) insect (such as an ant or a bee) that cares for the young
b
: a female mammal used to suckle (see suckle sense 1a) the young of another
a nurse cow

nurse

2 of 2

verb

nursed; nursing

transitive verb

1
a
: to nourish at the breast : suckle
b
: to take nourishment from the breast of
2
a
: to care for and wait on (someone, such as a sick person)
b
: to attempt to cure by care and treatment
3
a
: to manage with care or economy
nursed the business through hard times
nursed a 1–0 lead
b
: to promote the development or progress of
c
: to take charge of and watch over
4
: to hold in one's memory or consideration
nurse a grievance
5
a
: to use, handle, or operate carefully so as to conserve energy or avoid injury or pain
nurse a sprained ankle
b
: to use sparingly
c
: to consume slowly or over a long period
nurse a cup of coffee
6

intransitive verb

1
a
: to feed at the breast : suck
b
: to feed an offspring from the breast
2
: to act or serve as a nurse
nurser noun

Examples of nurse in a Sentence

Noun The nurse will take your blood pressure before the doctor sees you. Nurse, may I have some water? Verb She is nursing her son through his illness. The couple nursed the business through hard times. He nursed the farm back to productivity. The team nursed a 1–0 lead until the last inning. The dog nursed her puppies. The baby nursed for several months. The puppies nursed for eight weeks.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Jade had arrived at the clinic 11 weeks pregnant, and left a couple of hours later with a hug from a nurse and a paper bag containing recovery instructions and birth control. Kate Zernike, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Seagraves is a nurse by training, who now works as a consultant for hospitals and tech companies. Tamara Keith, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 Moody was sentenced to life in prison plus thirty years for first-degree murder for kidnapping, raping and strangling the 17-year-old high school soccer star who dreamed of becoming a nurse or cosmetologist, the Democrat & Chronicle reports. Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Doctors, nurses, professors, and cleaners passed through the office daily talking to each other and to her. Rachyl Jones, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 District nurse Lisa Tripp took just 20 minutes to lay out the strategies to identify an opioid overdose, explain the dangers of fentanyl and then open boxes of Narcan to pass out to the students in attendance. Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Doctors, nurses, and patients around the world rely on our intelligent telehealth edge devices and virtual nursing, observation, and engagement applications to enhance clinical insights, patient safety, and efficiency. Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 For a nasty cut, Lopez is in good spirits, now laughing and winking with the nurses. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 The film centers on a nurse who runs a secret hotel for criminals in a futuristic version of Los Angeles. Kelly Martinez, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
For two weeks in late February, Sahar never nursed. Hajar Harb, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Paired with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock — the famed Black Hippy quartet at the center of Top Dawg Entertainment — Schoolboy Q has long seemed like the hooded thug quietly nursing a brew in the corner of the room, only to startle his friends with an energetic, hair-raising party chant. Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 Best known for taking in the Valley’s sick and injured pets and strays, the Humane Society envisioned a new campus that is better equipped to nurse those animals back to health. Lux Butler, The Arizona Republic, 24 Feb. 2024 Everything from small patches of dry skin to eczema can fall under the dermatitis umbrella, which makes a non-irritating body scrub like this one from Kiehl’s a go-to for people who want to nurse their dry spots back to life gently. Alyssa Brascia, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 Here’s what to know about the toll winter can take on your skin—and how to nurse it back to health. Korin Miller, Health, 14 Feb. 2024 Rescuers gradually warm turtles, administer medicine Turtles in treatment at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center are warmed up over a period of several days and given fluids and medicine to nurse them back to health. USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024 Economy Minister and Green party leader Robert Habeck nursed ambitions to lead his Green party to victory in the 2025 general election. Tilak Doshi, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 James, who sat out the second game of a back-to-back set, has been nursing a left ankle injury. Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nurse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English norice, norce, nurse, from Anglo-French nurice, from Late Latin nutricia, from Latin, feminine of nutricius nourishing — more at nutritious

Verb

Middle English nurshen to suckle, nourish, contraction of nurishen

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of nurse was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near nurse

Cite this Entry

“Nurse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nurse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nurse

1 of 2 noun
1
: a woman who has the care of a young child
2
: a person skilled or trained in caring for the sick and in maintaining good health in those who are not sick and who works either independently or under the supervision of a physician
3
: a worker of a social insect (as an ant or bee) that cares for the young

nurse

2 of 2 verb
nursed; nursing
1
: to feed at the breast : suckle
2
3
: to manage with care or economy
nursed the business through hard times
4
: to care for and wait on (as a young child or sick person)
nursed me back to health
5
: to hold in one's memory
nurse a grudge
6
: to treat with special care
nursed the car over the rough road
nurser noun

Medical Definition

nurse

1 of 2 noun
1
: a person who cares for the sick or infirm
specifically : a licensed health-care professional who practices independently or is supervised by a physician, surgeon, or dentist and who is skilled in promoting and maintaining health see licensed practical nurse, licensed vocational nurse, registered nurse
2
: a woman who suckles an infant not her own : wet nurse

nurse

2 of 2 verb
nursed; nursing

transitive verb

1
a
: to nourish at the breast : suckle
b
: to take nourishment from the breast of : suck milk from
2
a
: to care for and wait on (as an injured or infirm person)
b
: to attempt a cure of (as an ailment) by care and treatment

intransitive verb

1
a
: to feed an offspring from the breast
b
: to feed at the breast : suck
2
: to act or serve as a nurse

Biographical Definition

Nurse

biographical name

Sir Paul Maxime 1949–     British geneticist

More from Merriam-Webster on nurse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!