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 of nursery

• 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

When in Doubt, Choose a Dusty Pastel When designing this nursery, Darden drew inspiration from the calming pale color scheme of Marie-Antoinette's estate, the Petit Trianon. —Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 27 Apr. 2026

The community is invited to select from hundreds of California native plants, drought-tolerant selections, vegetables, herbs, perennials, succulents, as well as specialty plants propagated from members’ own gardens—many of them unusual varieties unavailable at commercial nurseries. —Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2026

This year, for the first time, the conservancy wanted to dig up native seedlings to nurture the trees in their nursery and replant them in the forest to better their chances of survival. —ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026

Some even suggested galaxies could still be chock-full of gas but somehow not forming stars, which would be a real head-scratcher for anyone trying to understand stellar nurseries. —Paul Sutter, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026

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