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

Miller’s narrative is a deliberate attempt to weaponize “colorblindness” and allegations of reverse discrimination to dismantle programs fostering equity.

From Salon

Some of the movie’s hand-wringing conversations — about politics poisoning the church, dividing people, fostering lies and hypocrisy — sound timely and will strike a chord.

From Los Angeles Times

“We need to recognize our differences, sow trust in our government and our institutions, and foster compromise.”

From Science Magazine

But it seems increasingly clear that this is not the sort of society Trump intends to foster.

From Los Angeles Times

“The current administration squandered the advantages it had inherited and did not invest in capacity building, foster programs, animal wellbeing, public and staff safety and customer service,” Best Friends said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times