Definitions for foster
ˈfɔ stər, ˈfɒs tərfos·ter

Princeton's WordNet(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Foster, Stephen Foster, Stephen Collins Fosteradjective

   United States songwriter whose songs embody the sentiment of the South before the American Civil War (1826-1864)

2. foster, surrogateverb

   providing or receiving nurture or parental care though not related by blood or legal ties

   "foster parent"; "foster child"; "foster home"; "surrogate father"

3. foster, furtherverb

   promote the growth of

   "Foster our children's well-being and education"

4. fosterverb

   bring up under fosterage; of children

5. foster, nurtureverb

   help develop, help grow

   "nurture his talents"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. fosternoun

   A forester

2. fosternoun

   The care given to another; guardianship

3. fosterverb

   To nurture or bring up offspring; or to provide similar parental care to an unrelated child.

4. fosterverb

   To cultivate and grow something.

   Our company fosters an appreciation for the arts.

5. fosterverb

   To nurse or cherish something.

6. fosteradjective

   Providing parental care to unrelated children.

7. fosteradjective

   receiving such care

8. fosteradjective

   Related by such care

9. Fosternoun

   An English surname, variant of Forster.

10. Fosternoun

    A male given name transferred from the surname.

11. Fosternoun

    A town in Rhode Island; named for Rhode Island statesman Theodore Foster.

12. Fosternoun

    A town in Victoria.

13. Fosternoun

    A town in Oklahoma.

14. Fosternoun

    A village in Missouri; named for Ohio governor Charles Foster.

15. Fosternoun

    A town in Wisconsin.

16. Fosternoun

    A village in Nebraska; named for George Foster, original owner of town's site.

17. Etymology: (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. To FOSTERverb

   Etymology: fostrian, Saxon.

   1. To nurse; to feed; to support; to train up.

   Thy threat’ning colours now wind up,
   And tame the savage spirit of wild war;
   That, like a lion foster’d up at hand,
   It may lie gently at the foot of peace. William Shakespeare, King John.

   Some say that ravens foster forlorn children. William Shakespeare.

   Our kingdom’s earth should not be soil’d
   With that dear blood, which it hath fostered. William Shakespeare, R. II.

   That base wretch,
   Bred on alms, and foster’d with cold dishes,
   With scraps o’ th’ court. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.

   Fostering has always been a stronger alliance than blood. John Davies, on Ireland.

   No more let Ireland brag her harmless nation
   Fosters no venom, since that Scots plantation. John Cleveland.

   The son of Mulciber,
   Found in the fire, and foster’d in the plains,
   A shepherd and a king at once he reigns. John Dryden, Æn. b. vii.

   2. To pamper; to encourage.

   A prince of great courage and beauty, but fostered up in blood by his naughty father. Philip Sidney, b. ii.

   3. To cherish; to forward.

   Ye fostering breezes, blow;
   Ye softening dews, ye tender showers descend. James Thomson.

Webster Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Fosterverb

   to feed; to nourish; to support; to bring up

2. Fosterverb

   to cherish; to promote the growth of; to encourage; to sustain and promote; as, to foster genius

3. Fosterverb

   to be nourished or trained up together

4. Fosterverb

   relating to nourishment; affording, receiving, or sharing nourishment or nurture; -- applied to father, mother, child, brother, etc., to indicate that the person so called stands in the relation of parent, child, brother, etc., as regards sustenance and nurture, but not by tie of blood

5. Fosternoun

   a forester

6. Fosternoun

   one who, or that which, fosters

7. Etymology: [OE. fostren, fr. AS. fster, fstor, food, nourishment, fr. fda food. 75. See Food.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Foster

   Foster is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, in the United States. The population was 4,606 at the 2010 census.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Foster

   fos′tėr, v.t. to bring up or nurse: to encourage.—ns. Fos′terāge, the act of fostering or nursing; Fos′ter-broth′er, a male child, fostered or brought up with another of different parents; Fos′ter-child, a child nursed or brought up by one who is not its parent; Fos′ter-daugh′ter; Fos′terer; Fos′ter-fa′ther, one who brings up a child in place of its father; Fos′terling, a foster-child; Fos′ter-moth′er, one who suckles a child not her own; Fos′ter-nurse (Shak.), a nurse; Fos′ter-par′ent, one who rears a child in the place of its parent; Fos′ter-sis′ter, one brought up as a sister by the same parents, but not a sister by birth; Fos′ter-son, one brought up as a son, though not a son by birth. [A.S. fóstrian, to nourish, fóstor, food.]

2. Foster

   fos′tėr, n. (Spens.) a forester.

Matched Categories

1. • Encourage
   • Promote
   • Rear

British National Corpus

1. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'foster' in Verbs Frequency: #1110

Anagrams for foster »

1. fetors

2. forest

3. softer

4. fortes

How to pronounce foster?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say foster in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of foster in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of foster in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of foster in a Sentence

1. Kevin Love:

   We’ll have to spend a lot of time together, it’s just going to help nurture and foster some great relationships on the floor and that’s going to, I think, bode well for what we’re going to do out there.

2. President Trump:

   Today, I call on the Congress to join me in protecting and defending the dignity of every human life, including those not yet born, i call on the American people tocontinue to care forwomen in unexpected pregnancies and to support adoption and foster care in a more meaningful way, so every child can have a loving home.

3. Saiful Bahri:

   We need a creative role model to foster society's active engagement in protecting the environment.

4. Linda Herring:

   I would just love( my foster kids) just like they were my own, probably more than I should, i cried when the kids would leave my home, no matter how long they had been there. It was so hard for me to say goodbye to them. I always questioned,' Why do I keep doing this ?' because it was never easy to say goodbye to a child. But I kept doing it because I had so much love to give to these children in need.

5. Scott Stewart:

   I think probably a lot of them have some truth, he wants to try to foster that whole mystique.

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