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

What will become of this nursery in the wild in the next hundred years, or thousand, is the crux of a scientific and policy dispute. —Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026

Here a nursery full of native seeds is being planted for the Wild Realms gardens. —Grainne McBride, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2026

The campus includes a nursery and early childhood center, and clergy were present and operating at the time of the incident. —Alexandra Koch , Efrat Lachter , Michael Ruiz , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026

Look for a container with good drainage holes about twice the size of the nursery pot. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 12 Mar. 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