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wet-nursing

verb

present participle of wet-nurse
1
as in nursing
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in spoiling
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wet-nursing
  1. nursing
  2. spoiling
  3. indulging
Verb
  • The backstory For most of my life, the Old Dutch Inn has been just a faint memory of kicking my legs from a bar stool, drinking a Shirley Temple next to my late grandmother, who would likely have been nursing a gin and tonic.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Mike, with his sharp features and small, dark hands, is probably at the Silver Spur right now, nursing his glass of vodka, two rocks, no twist.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of nursing
Verb
  • The loss was Boston’s eighth in 12 games, spoiling Chad Tracy’s first game as manager after the club named him its 49th in team history.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Sep. 2026
  • That’s 10 games against teams that don’t have much to play for, aside from spoiling Toronto’s season.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of spoiling
Verb
  • And of course there’s a bookstore in town for indulging your inner Rory.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • From turning heads on the sidewalk to indulging at a local pub, the London native hits the streets with a touch of British humor and charm.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of indulging
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.

Browse Nearby Words

wet-nurses
wet-nursing
wets
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Cite this Entry

“Wet-nursing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wet-nursing. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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