nurse

noun \ ˈnərs \

Updated on: 26 Apr 2018

Definition of nurse

1 a : a woman who suckles an infant not her own : wet nurse

b : a woman who takes care of a young child : dry nurse

2 : one that looks after, fosters, or advises

Time is the nurse and breeder of all good.
—Shakespeare

3 : 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

4 a : a worker form of a social (see ¹social 4b) insect (such as an ant or a bee) that cares for the young

b : a female mammal used to suckle (see suckle 1a) the young of another

a nurse cow

See nurse defined for English-language learners

See nurse defined for kids

Examples of nurse in a Sentence

The nurse will take your blood pressure before the doctor sees you.
Nurse, may I have some water?

Recent Examples of nurse from the Web

And nurse practitioners are governed by the Alaska Board of Nursing, which is separate from the State Medical Board.

— laurel andrews, Anchorage Daily News, "Should Alaska’s naturopaths be allowed to prescribe medicine?," 21 Apr. 2018
This included letting nurse practitioners perform student-athlete exams (which was not allowed at the time), failure to perform sickle cell tests in a timely manner and failure to require medical exams before tryouts.

— michael mcgough, sacbee, "Serious NCAA rules violations result in 3-year probation for Sac State tennis program | The Sacramento Bee," 20 Apr. 2018
The nurse practitioner office date has changed from April 30 to April 26.

— joseph clark, cleveland.com, "Suspect transferred to Lorain County Sheriff's Office: Olmsted Township Police Blotter," 16 Apr. 2018
The groom’s mother retired as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in the Boston area.

— New York Times, "Whitney Flesher, David Tutor," 15 Apr. 2018
Mouhib, who has worked as a nurse practitioner, has been charged with second-degree murder.

— steve helling, PEOPLE.com, "New York Mom Accused of Decapitating Her 7-Year-Old Son with a Kitchen Knife," 9 Apr. 2018
According to state records, Mouhib is licensed as a nurse practitioner who specializes in mental health.

— USA TODAY, "New York mom charged in decapitation of her 7-year-old son," 6 Apr. 2018
Two nurse practitioners who admitted improperly prescribing at the clinic were merely reprimanded by the state Board of Nursing.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Feds suspect Milwaukee area pain clinic could be 'pill mill' feeding the opioid crisis," 5 Apr. 2018
The health-care company is adding jobs in Tucson from nurse practitioner to scheduling clerks.

— ronald j. hansen, azcentral, "Arizona companies hiring 100 or more in April 2018," 3 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of nurse

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

nurse Synonyms

Synonyms

babysitter, dry nurse, nanny (also nannie), nursemaid, sitter;

Related Words

duenna, governess;

Other Job Terms

factotum, milliner, ostler, scrivener, tinker, webster, wordsmith

nurse

verb

Definition of nurse

nursed; nursing

transitive verb

1 a : to nourish at the breast : suckle

b : to take nourishment from the breast of

2 : rear, educate

3 a : to promote the development or progress of

b : to manage with care or economy

nursed the business through hard times

nursed a 1–0 lead

c : to take charge of and watch over

4 a : to care for and wait on (someone, such as a sick person)

b : to attempt to cure by care and treatment

5 : to hold in one's memory or consideration

nurse a grievance

6 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

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

—

nurser

noun

See nurse defined for English-language learners

Examples of nurse in a Sentence

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 of nurse from the Web

Shoemaker was supposed to meet a friend at The Matador to have a couple drinks to catch up and nurse her jetlag.

— matt wake, AL.com, "Grammys, tequila and Travolta: a Gulf Coast love story," 18 Apr. 2018
When infants cry to be fed and are nursed by a responsive mother, their brains release a flood of endorphins into their nervous systems.

— katherine reynolds lewis, The Cut, "Can Scientists Tell Me If I’m a Good Mom?," 17 Apr. 2018
He had not nursed for several days and suffered from dehydration, says a Facebook post from the commission.

— carol motsinger, Cincinnati.com, "Vacationing Ohio family saves stranded manatee in Florida," 12 Apr. 2018
Authorities, however, did find a female beagle, which had appeared to have been nursing puppies.

— kaitlyn schwers, kansascity, "Missouri man accused of beating puppies unfit to stand trial, court records say | The Kansas City Star," 6 Apr. 2018
Other changes at Miller Park for this season are a revamped Aurora Health Care Kids Zone on the Terrace level and a new suite for nursing mothers.

— james b. nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New at Miller Park: Upgraded club level, Jim Beam Bourbon Bar and Johnsonville sausages," 27 Mar. 2018
Certain things are becoming almost pro forma in the contemporary officescape, like adjustable desks with a standing option and a room for nursing mothers.

— Outside Online, "Creating a workplace that truly makes us happy and healthy takes a lot more than standing desks and on-site yoga. Thankfully, new research has sparked a growing design revolution.," 26 Mar. 2018
Many are nursing assistants, home health aides and personal care attendants - the trio of jobs that often defines direct-care workers.

— chicagotribune.com, "As Trump targets immigrants, elderly and others brace to lose caregivers," 25 Mar. 2018
Many are nursing assistants, home health aides and personal care attendants — the trio of jobs that often defines direct-care workers.

— Washington Post, "As Trump targets immigrants, elderly and others brace to lose caregivers," 24 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of nurse

Middle English nurshen to suckle, nourish, contraction of nurishen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

nurse Synonyms

Nurse

biographical name \ ˈnərs \

Definition of Nurse

Sir Paul Maxime 1949– British geneticist

NURSE Defined for English Language Learners

nurse

noun

Definition of nurse for English Language Learners

: a person who is trained to care for sick or injured people and who usually works in a hospital or doctor's office
: a woman who is paid to take care of a young child usually in the child's home

nurse

verb

Definition of nurse for English Language Learners

: to take care of or help (someone who is sick or injured)
: to give special care or attention to (something) : to try to keep (something) from failing
: to feed (a baby or young animal) with milk from the mother's body

NURSE Defined for Kids

nurse

noun \ ˈnərs \

Definition of nurse for Students

1 : a person skilled or trained in caring for sick or injured people

2 : a woman employed for the care of a young child

History for nurse

The English word nurse can be traced back to a Latin word nutricius that meant “nourishing” or “feeding.” In the past some mothers did not feed their babies at their own breasts but hired someone else to do so. The English word nurse was first used for such a woman. Later it came to be used for any woman hired to take care of a young child. The word nurse is also used now for a person who takes care of sick or injured people.

nurse

verb

Definition of nurse for Students

nursed; nursing

1 : to feed at the breast : suckle

2 : to take care of (as a young child or a sick person)

She nursed me back to health.

3 : to treat with special care or attention

Nurse that ankle until it's all healed.

Medical Dictionary

nurse

noun \ ˈnərs \

medical Definition of nurse

1 : a woman who suckles an infant not her own : wet nurse

2 : 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