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

Beyond athletics, Lily serves her community as a youth leader, nursery worker and Vacation Bible School assistant teacher. —Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025

Bare-root nursery stock is kept dormant and shipped to retailers or directly to your home in spring or sometimes fall, and should be planted while the plant is dormant. —Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025

The pod, known as Moctezuma’s pod, may be exploiting warming waters that have shifted shark nursery areas, making younger and less experienced sharks easier targets. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025

Climate change events, such as El Niño, may have altered white shark nursery areas, resulting in more juvenile sharks being found in the Gulf of California. —Outside, 3 Nov. 2025

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