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

The nursery departs from murals in favor of a custom Voutsa wallpaper teeming with jungle wildlife. —Sean Santiago, Architectural Digest, 19 Feb. 2026

It’s crafted from wool and cotton for a luxe feel, and is latex-backed for extra stability—a great pick for home offices, nurseries, and hallways. —Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Feb. 2026

Between are the three familiar points of Orion's Belt, and hanging below that is the milky light of the Orion Nebula — a colossal stellar nursery that orbits within the Milky Way roughly 1,500 light-years from Earth. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 17 Feb. 2026

The quarantine restricts the movement of items like trees and nursery stock out of Ohio without proper inspection and certification. —Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 Feb. 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