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
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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
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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
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Their sons were 13 months and 1 month old at the time, and Federline asked her not to go home and nurse them.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
16 Oct. 2025
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These migrants became figures left in a historical stasis, unable to face their present while nursing traumatic loss (their nostalgic literature constitutes an entire genre).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Torre spoiled Yankees fans with those four World Series titles in his first five years as manager.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The first ballot will be spoiled.—
Niraj Warikoo,
Freep.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Dogs and cats often will suckle on a toy, or even another animal, as a way to re-create those memories of comfort from nursing their mothers.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
8 Sep. 2025
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The best rooms look out over the sea and the rugged peaks of Cavall Bernat—a view shared by the rooftop restaurant, where local meats star in dishes like suckling porc negre and pastry stuffed with guinea fowl in almond sauce.—
Benjamin Kemper,
Saveur,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Outside the woods the whole world babied her.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
8 Oct. 2025
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Jean’s mama reproached her for not having been more careful and babied Wole, ordering him to remove his T-shirt and retrieving an aloe lotion, telling him to stretch out on the couch and instructing Jean to spread it over the tender areas.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Really, the album is about tiring of mothering men who are great in bed but lack crucial social skills.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
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She was born on July 10, 2024, to mother Jona, 26 and father Tony, 25, with two other siblings Pork Stew and Sweet Pork at the zoo in Chonburi, NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, reported.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wet-nurse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wet-nurse. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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