foster

verb

Definition of fosternext
1
as in to promote
to help the growth or development of the head librarian firmly declared that it is indeed the duty of local government to foster learning and a love of reading

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to raise
to bring to maturity through care and education a greathearted couple fostering two adopted children as well as three more of their own

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 foster The University of Miami has benefited from their second-year head coach’s fresh approach, which has seemingly fostered an adaptable atmosphere and innovative mind. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 Schmit has written about the role of state policy in fostering health information exchange and its benefits to the public, such as tracking measles outbreaks. — Alex Rosenblat — Calmatters, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026 Resistance to specific limits such as these can help foster a wider conviction that political power should not arbitrarily determine matters properly belonging to individual judgment. — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026 But beyond fostering innovation in brain science, the building sets new standards for sustainability in research labs, which often use more energy than hospitals. — Martin Cizmar, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for foster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for foster
  1. promote
  2. raise
  3. encourage
  4. nurture
  5. cultivate
  6. breed
Verb
  • Chater doesn’t disagree, particularly as promoting the album has prompted more conversations about the subject.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Abe Flores, deputy director of Create CA, a nonprofit advocacy group that promotes arts education for California students, said the challenges SCUSD cited were not unique to the district.
    — Chaewon Chung Updated October 21, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of promote
Verb
  • In 2022, the central bank raised rates by three-quarters of a point six days before the midterm elections, part of its fight against the worst inflation in four decades.
    — Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • And the evidence uncovered by Chair Loudermilk raises serious questions about Speaker Pelosi's role in those decisions.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of raise
Verb
  • Palestine Action founder Huda Ammori encouraged joining offshoot groups to circumvent the ban, the Telegraph reported.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Meta encourages its users to name their AIs—and encourages its AIs to think like humans.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of encourage
Verb
  • If curious extraterrestrial visitors were to reconnoiter Earth, they might well be struck by a planet that nurtures such an inordinate number of chickens.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Thank you, Uncle Tim, for nurturing me in so many ways throughout my life.
    — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of nurture
Verb
  • Also known as cattails or typha, the plants can be cultivated through paludiculture, the farming of wetland crops on rewetted land.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • It may be meant to teach posture or independence, invite play, cultivate an appreciation of craft, or eventually become an heirloom.
    — Steven Weill, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of cultivate
Verb
  • Farms spend decades breeding mink to develop unique genetic lineages.
    — Nat Lash, ProPublica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Mosquitoes breed in small pools of water, including in tires and plastic containers.
    — Alex DeLuca, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of breed

Browse Nearby Words

fossils
foster
fosterage
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/foster. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All