wet-nursed; wet-nursing; wet-nurses
1
: to care for and breastfeed (another woman's baby) : to act as wet nurse to
2
: to give constant and often excessive care to
: a woman who cares for and breastfeeds children not her own
Synonyms
Examples of wet-nurse in a Sentence
Verb
wet-nursed the woman's baby until she was well enough to do it herself
recent college grads quickly learn that employers won't wet-nurse them the way that their teachers did
Recent Examples on the Web
Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 19 May 2024
With nowhere else to turn, Karoline takes on the role of a wet-nurse, and a strong connection forms between the two women.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 10 May 2024
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 29 May 2024
Black enslaved women were often forced to be wet nurses or, after giving birth, sent back to work in the fields while someone else may or may not have cared for their child.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 24 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for wet-nurse 
Verb
In von Horn’s pic, set in post WW1 Copenhagen, the focal point is Karoline (Sonne), a young pregnant factory worker, who takes on the job of a wet-nurse for the charismatic Dagmar (Dyrholm) in order to escape poverty.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 19 May 2024
With nowhere else to turn, Karoline takes on the role of a wet-nurse, and a strong connection forms between the two women.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 10 May 2024
Noun
The children of the home were likely left to their own devices for days at a time — unlike the offspring of well-to-do city residents, who would have been cared for by wet nurses and tutors.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 29 May 2024
Black enslaved women were often forced to be wet nurses or, after giving birth, sent back to work in the fields while someone else may or may not have cared for their child.
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 24 Aug. 2023
See all Example Sentences for wet-nurse
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wet-nurse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Wet-nurse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wet-nurse. Accessed 11 Sep. 2024.
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