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

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

2. fosternoun

   The care given to another; guardianship

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

3. fosterverb

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

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

4. fosterverb

   To cultivate and grow something.

   Our company fosters an appreciation for the arts.

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

5. fosterverb

   To nurse or cherish something.

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

6. fosteradjective

   Providing parental care to unrelated children.

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

7. fosteradjective

   receiving such care

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

8. fosteradjective

   Related by such care

   Etymology: fostor, from fustran.

9. Fosternoun

   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. Fosternoun

    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. Fosternoun

    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. Fosternoun

    A town in Victoria.

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

13. Fosternoun

    A town in Oklahoma.

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

14. Fosternoun

    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. Fosternoun

    A town in Wisconsin.

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

16. Fosternoun

    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. Fosterverb

   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. Fosterverb

   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. Fosterverb

   to be nourished or trained up together

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

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

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

5. Fosternoun

   a forester

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

6. Fosternoun

   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.

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

   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. Victor Casale:

   I have spent my life trying to create truly global shade palettes because I know what its like to be with a person who has finally found their exact match. They feel included and recognized, and I am hoping every child who uses these crayons and finds their shade will have that feeling, with the world growing more diverse than ever before, Crayola hopes our new Colors of the World crayons will increase representation and foster a greater sense of belonging and acceptance.

2. Isabella Rossellini:

   Especially in American cinema, you foster an audience of young males, if you foster an audience for subjects that are interesting to women then you also have an audience that is interested in these subjects. A lot of films where people punch each other... I'm not interested.

3. Christian Bripschgi:

   In the murder-free zone we were looking to create, nobody will be killed with guns, knives, sticks, or anything of the sort, college is a place where ideas collide, and the administration should be there to foster an environment where that can take place.

4. Karoline Edtstadler:

   The positive thing, of course, is we have to foster Jewish life.

5. Peterson Lent:

   They were not planning for this, they may have gotten a call in the middle of the night saying ‘Take this child or they’re going to end up in foster care.’.

Images & Illustrations of foster

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