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

At the beginning of her music video, Latto shows off her baby bump, a nursery, and includes home videos from her childhood. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026

The channel behind the AI nursery song about cars has uploaded more than 10,000 videos since its first upload around seven months ago, averaging about 50 new videos per day. —Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026

The expo offers artisans, landscape architects, nurseries, local community services, food trucks, giveaways, a plant swap and fun activities for families. —Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026

Following mysterious invitations, 10 strangers arrive on an isolated island and promptly begin to die, one by one, as the remaining group members try to outrun their own clearly impending deaths by figuring out a nursery-rhyme riddle. —Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 18 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