Synonyms of nurse

nurse 1 of 2

noun

ˈnərs 

as in nanny

a person employed to care for a young child or children

sent his little son back to his nurse so that he could return to his study to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nanny
• nannie
• sitter
• babysitter
• nursemaid
• nurser
• dry nurse
• amah
• ayah
• mammy
• au pair
• bonne
• duenna
• governess
• mademoiselle
• fraulein

nurse

2 of 2

verb

1

as in to mother

to attend to the needs and comforts of

willingly lent a hand to nurse his grandmother in her final years, helping her get from one room to the other and making sure she was warm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mother
• heal
• treat
• minister (to)
• administer (to)
• wait upon
• look after
• look out for
• see to
• aid
• look to
• wait on
• take care of
• care (for)
• do for
• support
• baby
• cure
• doctor
• remedy
• preserve
• provide (for)
• conserve
• spoil
• cater (to)
• humor
• pamper
• mollycoddle
• coddle
• indulge

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forget
• ignore
• slight
• neglect
• overlook
• brush (aside or off)

2

as in to suckle

to give milk to from the breast

a new mother's decision to nurse her baby

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suckle
• breast-feed
• bottle-feed
• wet-nurse

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• wean

3

as in to have

to keep in one's mind or heart

he continues to nurse a tender affection for his first girlfriend

Synonyms & Similar Words

• have
• hold
• retain
• entertain
• harbor
• cherish
• bear
• hold on to
• keep
• remember
• cultivate
• hang on to
• maintain
• foster
• carry
• hug
• nurture
• support
• stick (to)
• sustain
• treasure
• preserve
• cling (to)
• cleave (to)
• brood (about or over)
• fixate (on or upon)
• obsess (about or over)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forget
• ignore
• drop
• refuse
• neglect
• deny
• disregard
• overlook
• reject
• decline
• quit
• part (with)
• repudiate
• abandon
• scorn
• give up
• desert
• renounce
• discard
• forsake
• throw out
• disdain
• abjure
• erase
• expunge

4

as in to baby

to treat with great or excessive care

nursed his sprained ankle for the rest of the week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• baby
• mother
• spoil
• indulge
• please
• dandle
• pamper
• cosset
• wet-nurse
• coddle
• mollycoddle
• appease
• satisfy
• delight
• cocker
• humor
• cater (to)
• content
• oblige
• placate
• soothe
• gratify
• pacify
• gladden
• mollify

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• control
• abuse
• discipline
• restrain
• mistreat
• misuse
• maltreat
• manhandle
• neglect
• oppress
• slight
• ill-treat
• hurt
• mishandle
• ill-use
• outrage
• violate
• overlook
• molest
• harass
• torment
• torture
• harm
• injure
• victimize
• persecute

5

as in to raise

to bring to maturity through care and education

as foster parents they accepted and nursed 16 needy children over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• raise
• foster
• mother
• breed
• teach
• nurture
• watch
• educate
• bring up
• feed
• promote
• father
• school
• cradle
• nourish
• mentor
• rear
• minister (to)
• cultivate
• attend
• supply
• train
• provide (for)
• care (for)
• instruct
• forward
• tutor
• discipline
• guide
• lead
• prepare
• mind
• show
• further
• enlighten
• shepherd
• indoctrinate
• edify
• advance
• direct

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abuse
• mistreat
• maltreat
• ignore
• neglect
• hurt
• ill-treat
• harm
• ill-use
• mishandle
• injure

6

as in to encourage

to help the growth or development of

her teachers did much to nurse her literary talent

Synonyms & Similar Words

• encourage
• promote
• cultivate
• foster
• nurture
• forward
• advocate
• further
• assist
• advance
• nourish
• aid
• support
• incubate
• back
• fund
• finance
• uphold
• endorse
• champion
• subsidize
• patronize
• work (for)
• underwrite
• advertise
• indorse
• campaign (for)
• publicize
• boost
• plug
• endow
• stake
• abet
• agitate (for)
• tout

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prevent
• discourage
• hinder
• bar
• counter
• combat
• frustrate
• fight
• contend (with)
• inhibit
• outlaw
• enjoin
• oppose
• forbid
• ban
• proscribe
• prohibit
• check
• battle
• interdict
• interfere (with)
• arrest
• subdue
• retard
• stifle
• suppress
• repress
• halt
• snuff (out)
• squash
• impede
• squelch
• obstruct
• encumber
• hobble
• manacle
• shackle
• fetter

7

as in to spare

to use or give out in stingy amounts

he carefully nursed his energy during the marathon so that he would have something left for the final stretch

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spare
• scant
• stint (on)
• conserve
• skimp (on)
• preserve
• portion (out)
• dole out
• mete (out)
• ration (out)
• pinch
• shortchange

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pour
• heap
• lavish
• shower
• rain

Examples of nurse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

President Joe Biden announced the milestone on Thursday, saying his administration restored a promise to America’s teachers, firefighters, nurses and other public servants. —Collin Binkley, The Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2024

According to the restaurant, four of the reenactors were dressed as U.S. ally soldiers, one was dressed as a nurse and the others were dressed as SS officers, a paramilitary group who served as Adolf Hitler's personal body guard. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2024

Verb

So Sasha might have still been nursing at the time of death. —Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 17 Sep. 2024

One of the reasons for Voyager's longevity is how NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California have worked to nurse its failing systems along. —David Szondy, New Atlas, 15 Sep. 2024

Phrases Containing nurse

• dry nurse