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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
  • 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
  • At the end, Bjornsson — who had been nursing a knee injury — retained his title, although not everyone made it through unscathed.
    — Rob Tanner, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of nursing
Verb
  • 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
  • Read on to learn about how long chicken broth lasts in the pantry and the fridge, signs of spoiling, how to freeze it, and how to make it.
    — Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 13 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 21 Sep. 2026.

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