NURSES Synonyms: 251 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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nurses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of nurse

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

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as in suckles

to give milk to from the breast a new mother's decision to nurse her baby

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weans

as in has

to keep in one's mind or heart he continues to nurse a tender affection for his first girlfriend

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as in babies

to treat with great or excessive care nursed his sprained ankle for the rest of the week

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as in raises

to bring to maturity through care and education as foster parents they accepted and nursed 16 needy children over the years

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as in encourages

to help the growth or development of her teachers did much to nurse her literary talent

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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

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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 nurses

Noun

Many of these people are poorly paid, but some, such as travel nurses, are highly compensated. — Paul Osterman, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026 Across the country in California, nurses at Kaiser Permanente are striking and picketing against the AI surveilling their work and playing a growing role in patient care. — Katie Palmer, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026 According to reporting by CalMatters, these surveillance systems gave lower scores to nurses who stayed on the phone longer than 15 minutes and often misjudged the emotional context of their conversations. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Hospices can only have 12 patients per licensed nurse and nurses must be able to respond in person within two hours at any time of day, among other significant changes. — Jason Henry, Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026 Sustaining a life in medicine would be impossible without the support of my colleagues — doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, technicians and translators. — Rajani Larocca, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 Walter Smith, of Detroit, approached three nurses outside the Warren hospital near the ambulance bay on June 3. — Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 8 Aug. 2026 Trans Aero Medevac previously identified the victims as pilots Keelan Clark and Ali Kawsara, and flight nurses Jamie Novick and Sarah Clark. — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 Hospitals aren’t just competing for patients, but also for nurses and doctors during a nationwide shortage predicted to get worse by 2030, when the youngest Baby Boomers hit 65. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2026

Verb

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nurses

Noun

These nefarious little nannies were blamed for every cool model that didn’t make it to our shores, and every sweet performance option left on the table (not to mention every part that fell off of an American car built between 1979 and 1999).

— Byron Hurd, The Drive, 5 Aug. 2026
On the series, which is streaming now, Bienvenue, Hayward and six other young nannies jet off to Ibiza for a summer to launch a nannying agency for VIP clientele on vacation.

— Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026

Definition of nannies

Verb

Saturday Night Live host Matt Damon was cast as the adoring husband in Mom, an entirely inoffensive movie where nothing bad happens—something that mothers everywhere will enjoy.

— William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 10 May 2026
Some parents − overwhelmingly mothers − are stepping back from full-time work or leaving the workforce altogether to accommodate the needs of their family.

— Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026

Definition of mothers

Verb

Each new piece was crafted to be simple, functional, and beautiful, giving parents peace of mind and babies a nurturing space to grow.

— Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Hummers are the smallest and lightest of birds, some weighing no more than a coin, some babies the size of a bean.

— Kate Siber, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025

Definition of babies

Verb

The timing spares the Eagles and Carter from the questions and speculation that would have unfolded when training camp opened to the media Wednesday.

— Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Senior dogs with arthritis or chronic pain also benefit because mobile service spares them the physical strain of travel.

— Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2026

Definition of spares

Noun

Many people get their start on Rover, which connects pet owners with sitters and walkers.

— Jasmin Suknanan, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026
Lacey says his site is seeing all kinds of parents start hiring sitters in August for early-morning care just as the back-to-school season kicks off.

— Melissa Willets, Parents, 4 Aug. 2026