nurse
Other forms: nursing; nurses; nursed
A nurse is a trained healthcare worker who takes care of sick people. To nurse is to take care of, like if you nurse a baby bird back to health.
To become a nurse, you have to go to college and study subjects like anatomy and nutrition. Some nurses assist doctors and perform tasks like bathing patients, taking blood samples, or giving medication. When you use the word nurse as a verb, it means "care for," and also "breastfeed a baby." The Latin root, nutrire, means "to nourish." To nurse a drink is to drink it slowly, and to nurse an idea is to mull it over.
Definitions of nurse
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one skilled in caring for young children or the sick (usually under the supervision of a physician)
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examples:
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Edith Louisa Cavell
English nurse who remained in Brussels after the German occupation in order to help Allied prisoners escape; was caught and executed by the Germans (1865-1915)
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Florence Nightingale
English nurse remembered for her work during the Crimean War (1820-1910)
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Margaret Higgins Sanger
United States nurse who campaigned for birth control and planned parenthood; she challenged Gregory Pincus to develop a birth control pill (1883-1966)
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types:
- show 12 types...
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foster-nurse
a nurse who raises another woman's child as her own
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graduate nurse, trained nurse
someone who has completed the course of study (including hospital practice) at a nurses training school
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head nurse
the person in charge of nursing in a medical institution
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LPN, licensed practical nurse, practical nurse
a nurse who has enough training to be licensed by a state to provide routine care for the sick
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matron
a woman in charge of nursing in a medical institution or school
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accoucheuse, midwife
a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies
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probationer, student nurse
a nurse in training who is undergoing a trial period
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RN, registered nurse
a graduate nurse who has passed examinations for registration
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scrub nurse
a nurse who helps a surgeon prepare for surgery
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visiting nurse
a nurse who is paid to visit the sick in their homes
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nurse-midwife
a registered nurse who has received special training as a midwife
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NP, nurse clinician, nurse practitioner
a registered nurse who has received special training and can perform many of the duties of a physician
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type of:
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PCP, caregiver, health care provider, health professional, primary care provider
a person who helps in identifying or preventing or treating illness or disability
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Edith Louisa Cavell
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a woman who is the custodian of children
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serve as a nurse; care for sick or handicapped people
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give suck to“You cannot nurse your baby in public in some places”
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suck
draw into the mouth by creating a practical vacuum in the mouth
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Antonyms:
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bottlefeed
feed (infants) with a bottle
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suck
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try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
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treat carefully
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maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
Pronunciation
US
/nərs/
UK
/nəs/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘nurse'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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