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 primary bedroom is spacious, with a generous closet and enough room for a seating area in front of the triplet windows, and the second bedroom feels like more than just an office or nursery. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 7 Sep. 2026

This year, funding was supposed to ramp up to $25 million a year to pay for boats, air tanks, and divers to get the corals out of the nurseries and onto the reef. — Nicolás Rivero, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026

In May, while attending the International Carnivorous Plant Symposium and Expo in Kernersville, a man with the nursery was trying to see if any other gardens might want Dolly. — Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026

Born into a prosperous but unhappy family, the owners of a seed nursery, Kusama saw visions of flowers from an early age, dots that spread across surfaces and spoke to her. — Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 2 Sep. 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