Synonyms of nurses

nurses 1 of 2

noun

plural of nurse

as in nannies

a person employed to care for a young child or children

sent his little son back to his nurse so that he could return to his study to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nannies
• sitters
• nursemaids
• babysitters
• nursers
• dry nurses
• amahs
• ayahs
• mammies
• au pairs
• bonnes
• duennas
• governesses
• frauleins
• mademoiselles

nurses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of nurse

1

as in mothers

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

• mothers
• ministers (to)
• heals
• treats
• administers (to)
• looks after
• doctors
• looks out for
• looks to
• aids
• sees to
• waits on
• cares (for)
• does for
• supports
• takes care of
• babies
• cures
• remedies
• preserves
• provides (for)
• spoils
• conserves
• caters (to)
• pampers
• mollycoddles
• humors
• coddles
• indulges

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignores
• neglects
• forgets
• overlooks
• brushes (aside or off)
• slights

2

as in suckles

to give milk to from the breast

a new mother's decision to nurse her baby

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suckles
• wet-nurses
• breast-feeds
• bottle-feeds

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weans

3

as in has

to keep in one's mind or heart

he continues to nurse a tender affection for his first girlfriend

Synonyms & Similar Words

• has
• holds
• retains
• harbors
• cherishes
• entertains
• bears
• keeps
• hangs on to
• holds on to
• cultivates
• remembers
• hugs
• fosters
• maintains
• treasures
• sticks (to)
• carries
• clings (to)
• nurtures
• supports
• sustains
• cleaves (to)
• preserves
• broods (about or over)
• fixates (on or upon)
• obsesses (about or over)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignores
• denies
• forgets
• drops
• neglects
• refuses
• parts (with)
• overlooks
• disregards
• rejects
• declines
• scorns
• repudiates
• disdains
• throws out
• deserts
• quits
• abandons
• discards
• gives up
• renounces
• abjures
• forsakes
• erases
• expunges

4

as in babies

to treat with great or excessive care

nursed his sprained ankle for the rest of the week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• babies
• mothers
• spoils
• indulges
• pampers
• wet-nurses
• pleases
• dandles
• mollycoddles
• coddles
• delights
• cockers
• cossets
• appeases
• caters (to)
• satisfies
• humors
• contents
• obliges
• placates
• gratifies
• soothes
• gladdens
• mollifies
• pacifies

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abuses
• maltreats
• controls
• disciplines
• mistreats
• misuses
• restrains
• ill-treats
• mishandles
• oppresses
• neglects
• manhandles
• ill-uses
• violates
• overlooks
• hurts
• outrages
• molests
• slights
• tortures
• injures
• torments
• harms
• victimizes
• harasses
• persecutes

5

as in raises

to bring to maturity through care and education

as foster parents they accepted and nursed 16 needy children over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• raises
• fosters
• mothers
• fathers
• nurtures
• breeds
• brings up
• schools
• teaches
• nourishes
• watches
• educates
• feeds
• promotes
• ministers (to)
• rears
• cultivates
• supplies
• disciplines
• trains
• minds
• cradles
• instructs
• attends
• mentors
• provides (for)
• cares (for)
• guides
• tutors
• leads
• prepares
• forwards
• advances
• shows
• shepherds
• indoctrinates
• furthers
• edifies
• enlightens
• directs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abuses
• mistreats
• ignores
• maltreats
• neglects
• ill-treats
• ill-uses
• hurts
• injures
• harms
• mishandles

6

as in encourages

to help the growth or development of

her teachers did much to nurse her literary talent

Synonyms & Similar Words

• encourages
• promotes
• cultivates
• fosters
• nurtures
• advances
• advocates
• forwards
• assists
• nourishes
• furthers
• champions
• aids
• supports
• backs
• incubates
• funds
• finances
• endorses
• upholds
• stakes
• works (for)
• underwrites
• subsidizes
• advertises
• campaigns (for)
• endows
• plugs
• patronizes
• boosts
• abets
• agitates (for)
• touts
• publicizes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prevents
• discourages
• hinders
• counters
• contends (with)
• inhibits
• bars
• frustrates
• prohibits
• forbids
• outlaws
• bans
• proscribes
• enjoins
• fights
• opposes
• battles
• combats
• arrests
• retards
• checks
• interferes (with)
• interdicts
• squashes
• stifles
• subdues
• suppresses
• represses
• halts
• snuffs (out)
• hobbles
• impedes
• obstructs
• squelches
• encumbers
• shackles
• fetters
• manacles

7

as in spares

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

• spares
• skimps (on)
• scants
• doles out
• conserves
• portions (out)
• metes (out)
• preserves
• stints (on)
• shortchanges
• rations (out)
• pinches

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• showers
• rains
• pours
• heaps
• lavishes

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nurses

Noun

Youth, teachers and parents in four towns complained of unsanitary school conditions and chronic staff shortages including of nurses and social workers. — Reuters, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2026

Physicians, nurses and others focus on delivering the best possible care, while administrators concentrate more on the organization’s financial and operational health. — Dr William Wertheim, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

The health department reports that state nurses have administered more than 8,500 doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine this year, including more than 5,500 doses given at pop-up clinics in outbreak areas. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

Travel nurses go from hospital to hospital and state to state, depending on staffing needs. — Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Sep. 2026

The union represents approximately 2,500 instructors, counselors, librarians, college nurses, and program coordinators at all campuses of the district. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

School nurses jumped in to care for the teacher as officers responded to the scene, police said. — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

With a statewide outbreak, the health department has reached out to school nurses to be prepared for any cases and know who to call in that event, as schools are a front line for the virus. — Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Flight attendants, pilots, and nurses all highly recommend compression socks because of their ability to improve circulation, reduce soreness, and curb the very serious risk of developing blood clots as a result of prolonged immobility. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2026

Verb

At the family estate, Sybylla, who nurses inchoate hopes of becoming a writer, is to be remade into a suitable wife. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2026

Ultimately, Etna’s closest bond is with the itinerant medic Hong who nurses his emaciated, shrapnel-scarred body. — Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026

Rachel dates a shoe store operator named Lou (Bob Hoskins), while Charlotte nurses a crush on her handsome young school bus driver and flirts with Catholicism to the chagrin of her Jewish mother. — David Faris, TheWeek, 17 July 2026

After Robin is gravely injured, he is taken in by the sage prioress Brigid (Jodie Comer), who nurses him back to health at an island convent. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 17 June 2026

Her father — struggling with poverty and the grief over his wife's death — wants to shoot it, but Jessica secretly nurses the animal back to health, bringing her closer to her father in the process. — Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 25 Nov. 2025