Definitions for foster
ˈfɔ stər, ˈfɒs tərfos·ter

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

1. Foster, Stephen Foster, Stephen Collins Foster(adj)

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

2. foster, surrogate(verb)

   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, further(verb)

   promote the growth of

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

4. foster(verb)

   bring up under fosterage; of children

5. foster, nurture(verb)

   help develop, help grow

   "nurture his talents"

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. foster(Noun)

   A forester

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

2. foster(Noun)

   The care given to another; guardianship

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

3. foster(Verb)

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

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

4. foster(Verb)

   To cultivate and grow something.

   Our company fosters an appreciation for the arts.

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

5. foster(Verb)

   To nurse or cherish something.

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

6. foster(Adjective)

   Providing parental care to unrelated children.

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

7. foster(Adjective)

   receiving such care

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

8. foster(Adjective)

   Related by such care

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

9. Foster(ProperNoun)

   An English surname, variant of Forster.

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

10. Foster(ProperNoun)

    A male given name transferred from the surname.

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

11. Foster(ProperNoun)

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

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

12. Foster(ProperNoun)

    A town in Victoria.

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

13. Foster(ProperNoun)

    A town in Oklahoma.

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

14. Foster(ProperNoun)

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

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

15. Foster(ProperNoun)

    A town in Wisconsin.

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

16. Foster(ProperNoun)

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

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

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

1. Foster(verb)

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

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

2. Foster(verb)

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

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

3. Foster(verb)

   to be nourished or trained up together

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

4. Foster(verb)

   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

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

5. Foster(noun)

   a forester

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

6. Foster(noun)

   one who, or that which, fosters

   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.

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

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

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. Peterson Lent:

   That means that they are going to have access to much less support and services — and certainly less financial support — than if they become a licensed foster parent.

2. Peterson Lent:

   Those relatives who step in to care for the children, and keep them out of the formal foster care system, they’re not only doing the right thing for kids — by reducing trauma and keeping them with family, they’re also saving taxpayers $4 billion each year by keeping kids out of foster care.

3. Julie Castle:

   About 40 % of all of the shelter population in the country is in foster home right now, and that represents a current reality of about 60 to 90,000 animals, which is huge.

4. L. Frank Baum:

   Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity. Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine, and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So I believe that dreams--daydreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing--are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to invent, and therefore to foster, civilization.

5. Brandy Welch:

   Faith is a part of our family life, so it is hurtful and insulting to us that Miracle Hill's religious view of what a family must look like deprives foster children of a nurturing, supportive home.

Images & Illustrations of foster

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