nurse
[verb]
Synonyms:
- look after, care for, minister to, tend, treat
- breast-feed, feed, nourish, nurture, suckle, wet-nurse
- foster, cherish, cultivate, encourage, harbour, preserve, promote, succour, support

---

Contrasted words: check, hold back, retard, slow
Related Words: bottle-feed, feed, advance, forward, further, promote, humor, indulge, pamper

---

English Thesaurus: care, caution, prudence, vigilance, regard for something, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. nurse¹ S2 W3 /nɜːs $ nɜːrs/ noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: nurse, nursery, nursing; verb: nurse]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: nurice, from Latin nutricius; ⇒ nutritious]

1. someone whose job is to look after people who are ill or injured, usually in a hospital:
The nurse is coming to give you an injection.
The school nurse sent Sara home.
a male nurse
a senior nurse
a student nurse (=someone who is learning to be a nurse)
a psychiatric nurse (=a nurse for people who are mentally ill)
a community nurse ⇒ district nurse, staff nurse

2. old-fashioned a woman employed to look after a young child Synonym : nanny
⇒ nursery nurse, wet nurse

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. nurse² verb
[Word Family: noun: nurse, nursery, nursing; verb: nurse]
[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: nursh 'to nourish' (14-16 centuries), from nourish; influenced by ⇒ nurse¹]

1. SICK PEOPLE
a) [transitive] to look after someone who is ill or injured:
He’s been nursing an elderly relative.
After Ray’s operation, Mrs Stallard nursed him back to health.
b) [intransitive usually in progressive] to work as a nurse:
She spent several years nursing in a military hospital.

2. REST [transitive not in passive] to rest when you have an illness or injury so that it will get better:
Shaw has been nursing an injury, and will not play on Sunday.

3. FEED A BABY
a) [intransitive and transitive] old-fashioned if a woman nurses a baby, she feeds it with milk from her breasts Synonym : breast-feed:
information on nutrition for nursing mothers
b) [intransitive] if a baby nurses, it sucks milk from its mother’s breast

4. YOUR FEELINGS [transitive not in passive] to keep a feeling or idea in your mind for a long time, especially an angry feeling
nurse a grudge/grievance/ambition etc
For years he had nursed a grievance against his former employer.

5. TAKE CARE OF SOMETHING [transitive] to take special care of something, especially during a difficult situation
nurse something through/along etc
He bought the hotel in 1927 and managed to nurse it through the Depression.

6. DRINK [transitive] informal if you nurse a drink, especially an alcoholic one, you drink it very slowly:
Oliver sat at the bar, nursing a bottle of beer.

7. HOLD [transitive] literary to hold something carefully in your hands or arms close to your body:
a child nursing a kitten

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

nurse
noun
ADJ. qualified, registered, trained | staff the children's ward staff nurse
ward | junior, senior | ancillary, auxiliary | student, trainee | male | day, night | community, district | hospital, practice, school This is a job for the school nurse.
private | specialist | maternity, psychiatric, triage, veterinary
NURSE + NOUN manager, practitioner, specialist, tutor | education
 ⇒ Note at JOB

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

care if you do something with care, you are careful to avoid damage, mistakes etc:
She put the needle in with great care.
Everyone should take care in the sun.
caution care to avoid danger or risks, or care about trusting information that might not be true:
Her evidence should be treated with caution.
There was a certain lack of caution among investors.
prudence a sensible and careful attitude that makes you avoid unnecessary risks - a rather formal use:
Banks should show more prudence in lending money.
vigilance careful attention to what is happening, so that you will notice any danger or illegal activity:
Governments from across the world have called for greater vigilance against Internet-based crime.
There is a need for constant vigilance to protect vulnerable people.
regard for something careful attention and consideration shown to something, to avoid danger or risks - used especially when someone fails to do this:
The court heard that the company had shown no regard for the safety of its employees.
These men are cold-blooded killers and have little regard for human life.
tact care not to say anything that might offend or upset someone:
He handled the matter with a great deal of tact.
discretion care to deal with situations in a way that does not embarrass, upset or offend people, especially by not telling any of their secrets:
Any confidential information was treated with discretion.
take care of somebody (also look after somebody especially British English) to make sure a child or an old or sick person is safe and has the things they need:
I have to look after my little brother.
Taking care of a baby is hard work.
She is taking care of her grandmother while her grandfather is in hospital.
care for somebody to take care of someone. Care for somebody is less common and more formal than take care of/look after somebody:
He was cared for by a team of nurses.
Caring for an elderly relative can be very rewarding.
nurse to look after someone who is ill:
He nursed his wife through a long illness.
The monks nursed him back to health (=looked after him until he was well again).
babysit to look after children in the evening while their parents go out somewhere:
I’ll ask Jane to babysit on Wednesday night.
He used to babysit for Mary when she worked nights.
mind British English to look after a child while their parents are not there, especially for a short time:
Will you mind the baby while I go to the shop?

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

mind what you use to think and imagine things:
My mind was full of big ideas.
I never know what's going on in her mind.
At the back of my mind I had the funny feeling that I’d met her somewhere before.
The same thoughts kept going through my mind and I couldn’t get to sleep.
head the place where someone’s mind is – use this especially when talking about the thoughts that are in someone’s mind:
I can't get him out of my head.
You need to get it into your head that you've done nothing wrong.
To keep myself calm, I counted to ten in my head.
She’s so quiet – you never quite know what’s going on inside her head (=what she is thinking).
subconscious the part of your mind that influences the way you think or behave, even though you may not realize this is happening, and which makes you have dreams:
She suddenly remembered a traumatic incident that had been buried deep in her subconscious.
During the daytime our conscious minds are active, but during the night the subconscious takes over.
psyche formal someone’s mind, especially their feelings and attitudes, and the way these influence their character - used especially when talking about people's minds in general:
The need for love is deeply buried in our psyche.
Freud has provided an account of the human psyche's stages of development.
The child is simply searching his psyche to find some past event that relates to his new experiences.
mentality a particular way of thinking that a group of people have, especially one that you think is wrong or bad:
I just don't understand the mentality of these people.
They all seem to have a kind of victim mentality, which makes them think that the world is permanently against them.
the ego technical the part of your mind that gives you your sense of who you are - used especially in Freudian psychology:
the rational world of the ego and the irrational world of the unconscious
take care of somebody (also look after somebody especially British English) to make sure a child or an old or sick person is safe and has the things they need:
I have to look after my little brother.
Taking care of a baby is hard work.
She is taking care of her grandmother while her grandfather is in hospital.
care for somebody to take care of someone. Care for somebody is less common and more formal than take care of/look after somebody:
He was cared for by a team of nurses.
Caring for an elderly relative can be very rewarding.
nurse to look after someone who is ill:
He nursed his wife through a long illness.
The monks nursed him back to health (=looked after him until he was well again).
babysit to look after children in the evening while their parents go out somewhere:
I’ll ask Jane to babysit on Wednesday night.
He used to babysit for Mary when she worked nights.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

nurse
̈ɪnə:s
See: visiting nurse

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲