nursery

noun

nurs·​ery ˈnər-s(ə-)rē 

plural nurseries

1

obsolete : attentive care : fosterage

2

a

: a child's bedroom

b

: a place where children are temporarily cared for in their parents' absence

c

: day nursery

3

a

: something that fosters, develops, or promotes

b

: a place in which persons are trained or educated

4

: an area where plants are grown for transplanting, for use as stocks for budding and grafting, or for sale

5

: a place where young animals grow or are cared for

Synonyms

• center
• nest
• seminary
• hothouse

Examples of nursery in a Sentence

She still needs to decorate the nursery before the baby comes.

We get our flowers from a local nursery.

Recent Examples on the Web

Records of boxwood plantings date back to the 1700s, and Ohio nurseries' boxwood inventory is valued at over $200 million, the blog reports, citing the Ohio Department of Agriculture. —Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025

The perpetrators had stolen the data from the Kido nursery chain and had been demanding the company pay a ransom by bitcoin. —Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025

Besides being easy to grasp and move around, this wooden toy’s smooth lines give it an heirloom quality for displaying in the nursery. —Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025

Her husband works at a plant nursery. —Gisela Salomon, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nursery

• day nursery
• nursery rhyme
• nursery school
• nursery slope

Rhymes for nursery

• bursary
• cursory
• anniversary

Kids Definition

nursery

noun

nurs·​ery ˈnərs-(ə-)rē 

plural nurseries

1

a

: a child's bedroom

b

: a place where children are temporarily cared for in their parents' absence

2

: a place where plants (as trees or shrubs) are grown for transplanting, for use as stocks in grafting, or for sale

Medical Definition

nursery

noun

nurs·​ery ˈnərs-(ə-)rē 

plural nurseries

: the department of a hospital where newborn infants are cared for