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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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Hours after being treated at the hospital for his injuries and released from jail, LaBeouf was back out on the streets of New Orleans in a fresh outfit and nursing a beer.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2026
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Presumably, Ser Arlan helped nurse Dunk back to health, then just let the boy stick around.—
Noel Murray,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Canada’s comeback spoiled good performances by a pair of Anaheim Ducks.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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The rampant speculation was also fueled by the existence of another clip in which Ansell appears to spoil a major plot point for a potential future season of the show.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The pups have the epicurean delight of suckling one of the highest fat-content milks in the animal kingdom.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
24 Nov. 2025
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Those people under him are suckling on his piggly-wiggly titties.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The brothers were each two years apart in age, but younger siblings were never babied; Nick recalled being on the receiving end of numerous pummelings by his older brothers.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
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Each new piece was crafted to be simple, functional, and beautiful, giving parents peace of mind and babies a nurturing space to grow.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Key strands of the film are about mothering with laser focus on the parents played by Okonedo and Mallen.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
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Nevertheless, Pearl continues to mother him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wet-nurse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wet-nurse. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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