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

There were no patients in the labor rooms, no newborns in the nursery, and the halls were silent. —John McHugh, Mercury News, 30 July 2025

Attorneys for Howard argued that damage to the nursery would have been negligible except the flood waters had been diverted across nursery land by embankments at the city’s new sewerage disposal plant. —Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 29 July 2025

So, early in the film, what later becomes the nursery is a little office that Sue uses. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 26 July 2025

Hinton described a scenario where humans are equivalent to a three-year-old in a nursery, and a big switch is turned on. —Kevin Williams, CNBC, 24 July 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