nurse
A person who cares for sick people
A person whose job is to help sick or hurt people, usually in a hospital.
[someone] works as a nurse
- The nurse checked my blood pressure before the doctor came in.
- She has been working as a nurse for over ten years.
- The hospital is hiring more nurses to handle the increased number of patients.
- A nurse helped him walk after his surgery.
- The nurse administered the medication on time.
- The nurse gave me some medicine.
- My sister is a nurse at the city hospital.
- A nurse helped the old man cross the room.
- The nurse took my temperature.
- He wants to be a nurse when he grows up.
To care for a sick person
To take care of someone who is sick or hurt.
to nurse [someone/something] back to health
- She stayed home to nurse her child through the flu.
- He nursed his elderly father after the operation.
- Volunteers helped nurse the wounded after the accident.
- She nursed her mother when she was sick.
- He stayed home to nurse his son.
- I helped nurse my friend after her accident.
To breastfeed a baby
When a mother gives her baby milk from her breast.
to nurse [a baby]
- She nursed her baby every three hours.
- The mother sat quietly in the corner to nurse her child.
- Some women choose to nurse for over a year.
- She nursed her baby before bed.
- The mother is nursing her newborn.
- She likes to nurse her baby in a quiet room.
To protect something carefully over time
To keep something safe and take care of it for a long time.
to nurse [something] carefully
- He nursed his ambition to start his own company.
- She nursed a small savings account until it grew into enough for a down payment.
- They nursed their idea for years before acting on it.
- He nursed his plan for many years.
- She nursed her dream until it came true.
- They nursed their money carefully.
To drink something slowly over time
To drink something very slowly so it lasts longer.
to nurse [a drink]
- He sat at the bar nursing a beer for hours.
- She nursed her coffee while waiting for him to arrive.
- They nursed their drinks and chatted until closing time.
- He nursed his tea slowly.
- She nursed her coffee while reading.
- I nursed my juice during the meeting.
- Base: nurse
- Plural: nurses
- Base: nurse
- 3rd Person Singular: nurses
- Present Participle: nursing
- Past: nursed
male nurse
1Man who works as a nurse
A man whose job is to help sick or hurt people in a hospital or clinic.
- He is proud to be a male nurse in the emergency department.
- The male nurse checked her vital signs.
nurse an injury
1Care for an injury over time
To look after an injury until it gets better, often avoiding activities that could make it worse.
- He's been nursing an injury since last season.
- She stayed home to nurse her sprained ankle.
nurse back to health
1Help someone get well again
To take care of someone until they are healthy again after being sick or hurt.
- She nursed her friend back to health after the accident.
- The volunteers worked hard to nurse the injured dog back to health.
wet nurse
1Woman who breastfeeds another's baby
A woman who gives her breast milk to feed another woman's baby, usually as a job.
- In the past, wealthy families often hired wet nurses.
- She worked as a wet nurse for two infants.
nurse a grudge
1Hold onto anger toward someone
To stay angry at someone for something they did, even after a long time.
- He still nurses a grudge against his old boss.
- Instead of nursing a grudge, he decided to talk to his friend and fix the problem.
- It's not healthy to nurse grudges for years.
- She has nursed a grudge since their argument last year.