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
-
The rookie quarterback continues to nurse a back injury.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
One recalled that the mom of an Ole Miss first-year stayed in the family’s new campus-adjacent apartment last fall to provide logistical and moral support during sorority rush, lending her daughter a hand in fixing hair or nursing a hangover.—
Russell Shaw,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Pluribus crackles with terrific comic tension as Carol wakes up next to her dead partner, filled with grief yet spoiling for a fight.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
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Without spoiling too much, the two-minute clip finds Carol weathering ample concern for her less-than-cheery demeanor.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Hummers are the smallest and lightest of birds, some weighing no more than a coin, some babies the size of a bean.—
Kate Siber,
Outside,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Outside the woods the whole world babied her.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
8 Oct. 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 13 Nov. 2025.
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