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

• 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

And this shift is being acknowledged at the highest levels of sport, like the addition of the first-ever nursery and breastfeeding spaces at the 2024 Paris Olympics. —Starre Vartan, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025

Across the galaxy, stars are born in immense clouds of gas and dust — stellar nurseries where gravity coaxes material to coalesce and ignite. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Baby animal enthusiasts rejoice, soon there will be new pups to see in the Nashville Zoo's nursery. —Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Sep. 2025

Two other dams, Link River and Keno, still bar salmon from reaching their farthest nurseries. —Debra Utacia Krol, USA Today, 2 Sep. 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