nourish

verb nour·ish \ ˈnər-ish , ˈnə-rish \

Definition of nourish

transitive verb

1 :nurture, rear

… to save my boy, to nourish and bring him up …
—Shakespeare

2 :to promote the growth of

no occasions to exercise the feelings nor nourish passion
—L. O. Coxe

nourished soccer as a sport in this country

needed to nourish his spiritual life

3 a :to furnish or sustain with nutriment :feed

Plants are nourished by rain and soil.

b :maintain, support

their profits … nourish other criminal activities
—Beverly Smith

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nourisher

noun

See nourish defined for English-language learners

See nourish defined for kids

Examples of nourish in a Sentence

Vitamins are added to the shampoo to nourish the hair.
a friendship nourished by trust

Recent Examples of nourish from the Web

That could nourish protectionist sentiment, or prompt other countries to increase state support for their own firms.

— The Economist, "Unnatural selectionChina’s state enterprises are not retreating but advancing," 20 July 2017
The growth of department stores created destination districts, nourished by public transit.

— justin davidson, Daily Intelligencer, "The Strange State of New York’s Street-Level Retail Storefronts," 14 July 2017
Neyow's Creole Cafe is filled with New Orleanians eating the type of food that has been nourishing New Orleanians for longer than the oldest among us have been alive: Creole gumbo, fried fish, red beans and rice, smothered pork chops.

— brett anderson, NOLA.com, "Neyow's Creole Cafe," 10 July 2017
The one that nourished Anderson's creativity, and equally his body and soul, will never be developed.

— the new york times, NOLA.com, "Walter Anderson's Horn Island off Mississippi remains a 'natural reality'," 4 July 2017
The Qatari government sent a convoy of water tankers and trucks carrying grass to the border on Monday to nourish the camels that had crossed the border.

— author: ibrahim saber, tom finn, Alaska Dispatch News, "Camels caught up in Arab feud reunited with their owners," 20 June 2017
For anyone still attempting this style, please don’t forget your Viviscal and don’t forget, what nourishes you, also destroys you.

— kathleen hou, The Cut, "Man Buns Have Made It to the Cover of the New Yorker," 19 June 2017
The Alzheimer’s Prevention Food Guide — A Quick Nutritional Reference to Foods that Nourish and Protect the Brain From Alzheimer’s Disease.

— seanne safaii-waite, idahostatesman, "Brain food: Can Alzheimer’s disease be prevented?," 19 June 2017
Bortles was instructed by UCF’s coaching staff, nourished by UCF’s dining halls and strengthened by UCF’s weight room.

— mike bianchi, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UCF kicker should make a YouTube video of how lucky he is to be getting a free education," 14 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nourish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of nourish

Middle English nurishen, from Anglo-French nuriss-, stem of nurrir, norrir, from Latin nutrire to suckle, nourish; akin to Greek nan to flow, noteros damp, Sanskrit snauti it drips

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

nourish Synonyms

Synonyms

advance, cultivate, encourage, forward, further, incubate, foster, nurse, nurture, promote

Antonyms

discourage, frustrate, hinder, inhibit

Related Words

advocate, back, champion, endorse (also indorse), support, uphold; endow, finance, fund, patronize, stake, subsidize, underwrite; abet, aid, assist; advertise, boost, plug, publicize, tout; agitate (for), campaign (for), work (for)

Near Antonyms

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

NOURISH Defined for English Language Learners

nourish

verb

Definition of nourish for English Language Learners

: to provide (someone or something) with food and other things that are needed to live, be healthy, etc.
: to cause (something) to develop or grow stronger