nursery
noun
nurs·ery
ˈnər-s(ə-)rē 
plural nurseries
1
obsolete
: attentive care : fosterage
2
a
: a child's bedroom
b
: a place where children are temporarily cared for in their parents' absence
c
3
a
: something that fosters, develops, or promotes
b
: a place in which persons are trained or educated
4
: an area where plants are grown for transplanting, for use as stocks for budding and grafting, or for sale
5
: a place where young animals grow or are cared for
Examples of nursery in a Sentence
She still needs to decorate the nursery before the baby comes.
We get our flowers from a local nursery.
Recent Examples on the Web
This one is sold in better nurseries and through online sources.
—
Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
Though the reef looked healthy, Sea Saba and the Saba Conservation Foundation, which manages the island's parks, are raising baby corals in an offshore nursery to replace reefs lost to hurricanes and climate change.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Gun violence and ownership are not uncommon in Thailand, where a former police officer killed 36 people, including 22 children, in a gun-and-knife attack at a nursery in the country’s east in 2022.
—Reuters, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
The paint on the nursery’s charming mural of illustrations by Sammy Hauschild was dry.
—Christine Lennon, Architectural Digest, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nursery
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.
Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2026
Though the reef looked healthy, Sea Saba and the Saba Conservation Foundation, which manages the island's parks, are raising baby corals in an offshore nursery to replace reefs lost to hurricanes and climate change.
—Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
Gun violence and ownership are not uncommon in Thailand, where a former police officer killed 36 people, including 22 children, in a gun-and-knife attack at a nursery in the country’s east in 2022.
—Reuters, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
The paint on the nursery’s charming mural of illustrations by Sammy Hauschild was dry.
—Christine Lennon, Architectural Digest, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nursery
Cite this Entry
“Nursery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nursery. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nursery
noun
nurs·ery
ˈnərs-(ə-)rē
plural nurseries
1
a
: a child's bedroom
b
: a place where children are temporarily cared for in their parents' absence
2
: a place where plants (as trees or shrubs) are grown for transplanting, for use as stocks in grafting, or for sale
Medical Definition
nursery
noun
nurs·ery
ˈnərs-(ə-)rē
plural nurseries
: the department of a hospital where newborn infants are cared for
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
