1
as in healing
to attend to the needs and comforts of
willingly lent a hand to nurse his grandmother in her final years, helping her get from one room to the other and making sure she was warm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suckling
to give milk to from the breast
a new mother's decision to nurse her baby
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in having
to keep in one's mind or heart
he continues to nurse a tender affection for his first girlfriend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in spoiling
to treat with great or excessive care
nursed his sprained ankle for the rest of the week
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in raising
to bring to maturity through care and education
as foster parents they accepted and nursed 16 needy children over the years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in promoting
to help the growth or development of
her teachers did much to nurse her literary talent
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in conserving
to use or give out in stingy amounts
he carefully nursed his energy during the marathon so that he would have something left for the final stretch
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of nursing
Bornauw and Ilia Gruev were nursing what Farke called cramp before their substitutions.
—
Beren Cross, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Tomorrow morning, New Yorkers across the five boroughs will be nursing their hangovers, mumbling bacon, egg, and cheese orders—and welcoming a new mayor.
—Jocelyn Silver, Vogue, 31 Dec. 2025
After being inactive for the first three games, Mitchell replaced Sanders during a three-game stretch — from Week 4 to Week 6 — when the 2024 fourth-round pick was nursing a previous ankle injury.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Dec. 2025
Companies once considered routine borrowers ran into trouble, leaving lenders nursing steep losses.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nursing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nursing
Verb
-
The post came as Princess Kate shared a personal video on Instagram about healing through nature on her special day.—
-
Coming together with others was healing for Angela, after seeing the video of an ICE officer fatally shooting a woman in Minneapolis.—
Verb
-
The pups have the epicurean delight of suckling one of the highest fat-content milks in the animal kingdom.—
-
Those people under him are suckling on his piggly-wiggly titties.—
Verb
-
From frequent favorites like Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez and George and Amal Clooney, to couples having a rare date night like Julia Roberts and Danny Moder and Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Moroney, significant others had a significant presence.—
-
Jaffery describes it as an unfortunate oversight and a prime example on the importance of having diverse voices at the table when making decisions.—
Verb
-
Butter crocks are designed with an air-tight seal and a separate space to store water at the bottom that prevents air from reaching the butter, which can lead to spoiling.—
-
There is also a fear in Cuba that the developments in Venezuela could cause a deterioration of the quality of life because of power issues, including with spoiling food, trash and mosquitoes.—
Verb
-
As chants echoed across the parking lot, cars driving past honked repeatedly, some drivers raising fists or waving through open windows.—
-
Beijing last year implemented some export controls on rare earths during trade spats, raising concerns about America’s lack of secure supply chains for these critical materials.—
Verb
-
The core purpose of Taste Addison – promoting Addison's 200+ restaurants – will be reenvisioned to include new, year-round options to support and elevate North Texas' most vibrant dining hub.—
-
Still, the district put full faith in its current coaches, promoting from within.—
Verb
-
This allows robots to use power for thrust when needed and deploy wings to glide when conserving battery.—
-
The highway department will strategically apply salt to intersections, hills, bridges and curbs in subdivisions, but aim for conserving on other stretches of subdivision roads.—
Verb
-
Really, the album is about tiring of mothering men who are great in bed but lack crucial social skills.—
Cite this Entry
“Nursing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nursing. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share