Meaning & use
nurse
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who is trained to care for sick or injured people, usually in a hospital or clinic.
Grammar: You can say 'a nurse' or 'nurses'. It is a countable noun.
Patterns
- a nurse in a hospital
- a nurse at a school
- work as a nurse
The nurse checked my blood pressure and temperature.
She works as a nurse in a busy city hospital.
My aunt is a nurse; she takes care of elderly patients.
verbtransitive
To care for someone who is sick or injured.
Grammar: Takes an object: nurse a patient. It can also be used figuratively: nurse a cold (rest to recover from a cold).
Patterns
- nurse someone
- nurse a cold
- nurse an injury
She nursed her husband back to health after his operation.
He nursed a broken leg for weeks.
The mother nursed her sick child through the night.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To feed a baby from the breast.
Grammar: Can be used with or without an object: The mother nursed her baby. / The baby nursed for twenty minutes.
Patterns
- nurse a baby
- nurse a child
She nursed her baby every two hours.
The kitten nursed from its mother.
In some cultures, women nurse their children until they are two years old.
Word forms
| plural | nurses |
|---|---|
| third person singular | nurses |
| past tense | nursed |
| past participle | nursed |
| -ing form | nursing |
Common combinations
- head nurse
- The head nurse is responsible for the whole ward.
- nurse practitioner
- A nurse practitioner can prescribe some medicines.
- nurse a cold
- He stayed home to nurse a cold.
- nurse a grudge
- She has nursed a grudge against him for years.
- wet nurse
- In the past, wealthy families often hired a wet nurse.
Synonyms and how they differ
- caregiver
- A more general word for anyone who looks after someone; 'nurse' usually suggests professional medical training.
- carer
- British English, often for someone who looks after a family member; 'nurse' is more likely to be a paid medical professional.
- attendant
- A person employed to help others, for example in a hospital or on a plane; less specific than 'nurse'.
Word family
Commonly confused: nurse or nanny? nurse or doctor?
nurse vs nanny
A nanny is employed to look after children in a family home. A nurse is a medical professional who cares for sick people.
nurse vs doctor
A doctor is trained to diagnose and treat illnesses and can prescribe medicine. A nurse provides care and often carries out doctors' instructions.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nurse' correctly as a verb?
Choose one answer.
As a verb, 'nurse' means to care for someone who is sick or injured. 'She nursed her sick father back to health' is correct. The other options misuse the verb: you don't 'nurse from a bottle' (you feed from a bottle), you don't 'nurse to' a place, and 'nurse a nurse' is nonsensical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nurse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.