nurture 1 of 2

verb

Definition of nurturenext
1
as in to promote
to help the growth or development of wanted to find the art school that would best nurture his artistic talent

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to educate
to provide (someone) with moral or spiritual understanding she feels that her lifelong practice of reading the Bible daily has nurtured her in ways she cannot describe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to sustain
to supply with nourishment nurtured their children through the long winters with home-cooked soup

Synonyms & Similar Words

nurture

2 of 2

noun

as in nourishment

Related Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of nurture
Verb
What happens when a body that has become functional, public, nurturing, and exhausted refuses to relinquish complexity? — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 7 Aug. 2026 Sam is smart about his feelings, but has a kind energy that nurtures others with empathy and food. — Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026
Noun
One of the most underrated stories in CSF athletics is its remarkable ability to recruit, nurture and spring standout decathletes on the Big West — and elsewhere. — Brian Robin, Oc Register, 8 June 2026 His ensemble-friendly technique nurtures a sense of life continually spilling in and out of the frame. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for nurture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nurture
  1. promote
  2. educate
  3. sustain
  4. nourishment
  5. cultivate
  6. inspire
  7. sustenance
  8. encourage
Verb
  • Bringing ‘Marge’ home In 2020, Wisconsin’s National Guard and Papua New Guinea entered into a military agreement though the State Partnership Program, which promotes cooperation through military exchanges.
    — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Trump most frequently mentions grass while promoting his Washington beautification efforts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of promote
Verb
  • The American research university has earned an extraordinary degree of autonomy because society has historically trusted universities to pursue knowledge, educate citizens and serve the public good with integrity.
    — David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Universities educate the next generation of scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs.
    — H. Christopher Frey, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of educate
Verb
  • Chinese officials condemn American legal hegemony while closely studying the institutions and techniques that sustain it.
    — Mark Jia, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The complaint alleges that the injuries sustained by Duluc were directly due to negligence regarding the height of the netting.
    — Madison Lambert, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of sustain
Noun
  • Horses didn’t survive 56 million years by adding more tasks to their days or overworking to get nourishment, protection, or social connections.
    — Nell Derick Debevoise Dewey, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Researchers said beach nourishment remains an important way to protect coastlines from erosion, but the findings highlight the need to better understand how those projects affect marine life.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of nourishment
Verb
  • Leaders must cultivate environments that foster these paths, offering meaningful ownership, opportunities for judgment, learning, and mentorship.
    — Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Ganni’s success also fueled growing interest in Copenhagen’s fashion scene, helping pave the way for fellow Danish labels like Saks Potts, Stine Goya, Rotate, and Baum und Pferdgarten to cultivate devoted international followings.
    — Kelsey Stewart, InStyle, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of cultivate
Verb
  • My intent was to inspire him to think about how family events are really important.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • And with The Odyssey putting Homer's world back into the pop-culture spotlight, travelers inspired to plan their own Greek adventure now have one more reason to look beyond the islands.
    — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of inspire
Noun
  • The project’s goals include giving long-term sustenance to successful but fleeting smaller efforts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Eating and drinking Situated next to the pool and providing sustenance from early morning to late at night is the Son Xotano restaurant.
    — Jonathan Samuels, TheWeek, 17 July 2026
Definition of sustenance
Verb
  • Separating students from those pressures for several hours could encourage face-to-face conversation and give overwhelmed teenagers a genuine break.
    — Kavin Bendre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Protecting elections and encouraging thoughtful voting is imperative to retake control of our government.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of encourage

Browse Nearby Words

nurturances
nurture
nurtured
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Nurture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nurture. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on nurture

Nglish: Translation of nurture for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All