wet-nursed; wet-nursing; wet-nurses
1
: to care for and breastfeed (another woman's baby) : to act as wet nurse to
2
: to give constant and often excessive care to
: a woman who cares for and breastfeeds children not her own
Examples of wet-nurse in a Sentence
Verb
wet-nursed the woman's baby until she was well enough to do it herself
recent college grads quickly learn that employers won't wet-nurse them the way that their teachers did
Recent Examples on the Web
Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2024
In von Horn’s pic, set in post WW1 Copenhagen, the focal point is Karoline (Sonne), a young pregnant factory worker, who takes on the job of a wet-nurse for the charismatic Dagmar (Dyrholm) in order to escape poverty.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 19 May 2024
Gabino Iglesias, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
At this historical moment, middle- and upper-class European women were increasingly urged to nurse their own babies for growing fear that wet nurses—usually of lower social rank, and sometimes another race—contributed to infant mortality.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wet-nurse
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
With nowhere else to turn, Karoline takes on the role of a wet-nurse.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2024
In von Horn’s pic, set in post WW1 Copenhagen, the focal point is Karoline (Sonne), a young pregnant factory worker, who takes on the job of a wet-nurse for the charismatic Dagmar (Dyrholm) in order to escape poverty.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 19 May 2024
Noun
The story begins with Agnes, a woman hired as a wet nurse by a wealthy family after the death of her own son.
—Gabino Iglesias, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
At this historical moment, middle- and upper-class European women were increasingly urged to nurse their own babies for growing fear that wet nurses—usually of lower social rank, and sometimes another race—contributed to infant mortality.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wet-nurse
Cite this Entry
“Wet-nurse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wet-nurse. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share