1
as in to nurse
to give milk to from the breast
wet-nursed the woman's baby until she was well enough to do it herself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to spoil
to treat with great or excessive care
recent college grads quickly learn that employers won't wet-nurse them the way that their teachers did
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 wet-nurse
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wet-nurse
Verb
-
Unluckily, Alys, freshly alienated by Daemon, arrives just in time to nurse the enemy of her enemy back to health.
-
They are set to be without right-back Reece James, who is nursing a hamstring injury.
Verb
-
Whether they're getting greased after a Super Bowl or spoiling All-Star rosters, does any city's poles get as much attention as Philadelphia's?
-
Both suet and hummingbird nectar are very susceptible to spoiling from the heat.
Verb
-
The pups have the epicurean delight of suckling one of the highest fat-content milks in the animal kingdom.
-
Those people under him are suckling on his piggly-wiggly titties.
Verb
-
No one’s babying him (at Houston).
-
Could baby owls and eagles be the key to stopping the spread of bird flu?
Verb
-
The new cub's arrival marks the first time Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium has had a lion birth since July 2020, when lioness Abana mothered three cubs.
-
Virginia Dulles was the opposite of Louanne Bixby—even a hundred children couldn’t exhaust her need to mother them.
Cite this Entry
“Wet-nurse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wet-nurse. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
