foster

¹

[ faw-ster, fos-ter ]

verb (used with object)

1. to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage:

   to foster new ideas.

   Synonyms: instigate, foment, advance, forward, favor

   Antonyms: discourage

2. to care for a foster child or a pet as a temporary guardian:

   The couple fostered two boys until they could be reunited with their birth parents.

   Have you ever fostered a kitten that you just couldn’t part from afterwards?

   Synonyms: maintain, support, sustain, nourish, nurse

3. to care for or cherish.
4. British. to place (a child) in a foster home.
5. Obsolete. to feed or nourish.

Foster

²

[ faw-ster, fos-ter ]

noun

1. Stephen (Collins), 1826–64, U.S. songwriter.
2. William Z(eb·u·lon) [zeb, -y, uh, -l, uh, n], 1881–1961, U.S. labor organizer: leader in the Communist Party.
3. a male given name.

foster

¹

/ ˈfɒstə /

verb

1. to promote the growth or development of
2. to bring up (a child, etc); rear
3. to cherish (a plan, hope, etc) in one's mind
4. 1. to place (a child) in the care of foster parents
   2. to bring up under fosterage

adjective

1. in combination indicating relationship through fostering and not through birth

   foster mother

   foster child

2. in combination of or involved in the rearing of a child by persons other than his natural or adopted parents

   foster home

Foster

²

/ ˈfɒstə /

noun

1. FosterJodie1962FUSFILMS AND TV: actressFILMS AND TV: director Jodie . born 1962, US film actress and director: her films include Taxi Driver (1976), The Accused (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1990), Little Man Tate (1991; also directed), Nell (1995), and Panic Room (2002)
2. FosterNorman1935MBritishARCHITECTURE: architect Norman , Baron. born 1935, British architect. His works include the Willis Faber building (1978) in Ipswich, Stansted Airport, Essex (1991), Chek Lap Kok Airport, Hong Kong (1998), the renovation of the Reichstag, Berlin (1999), and City Hall, London (2002)
3. FosterStephen Collins18261864MUSMUSIC: composer Stephen Collins . 1826–64, US composer of songs such as The Old Folks at Home and Oh Susanna

Derived Forms

• ˈfostering, noun
• ˈfosterer, noun

Other Words From

• fos·ter·er noun
• fos·ter·ing·ly adverb
• un·fos·ter·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of foster¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English fōstor “nourishment,” fōstrian “to nourish”; cognate with Old Norse fōstr; akin to food

Word History and Origins

Origin of foster¹

Old English fōstrian to feed, from fōstor food

Synonym Study

See cherish.

Example Sentences

A chat with Ben Foster is not a quick, breezy BS session: From the moment he arrives in the French restaurant Lucien, he’s laser-focused, asking his own questions, then offering considered, thoughtful answers.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2011, Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Beech and Foster ran a pipe into the mosque from a nearby gas meter in a bid to spark an explosion.

From BBC

DeShaun Foster acknowledged that both of the game balls he’s been given this season to commemorate coaching firsts could have gone to someone equally worthy.

From Los Angeles Times

The Amazon-owned company has also begun testing its driver-less vehicles near its Foster City, Calif., headquarters and around the Las Vegas Strip.

From Los Angeles Times

Catherine Foster, representing the school, said the man was "restrained legitimately" 117 times at the school on other occasions.

From BBC