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(ebulon) 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. 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. 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. Stephen Collins . 1826–64, US composer of songs such as The Old Folks at Home and Oh Susanna

Other Word Forms

• fosterer noun
• fosteringly adverb
• unfostering adjective
• fostering noun

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

The commission said Monguia’s shooting remarks “fostered an atmosphere of intimidation in the courtroom and, even if made in jest, were undignified and discourteous.”

From Los Angeles Times

The design is intended to "foster community and reduce isolation among residents", Riba said, with communal areas and shared facilities including a kitchen and double-height garden room.

From BBC

Once the Communists took over Russia, they vastly increased the literacy of the largely peasant population, industrialized the country, poured money into scientific research and fostered a respectable number of Nobel Prize winners.

From Salon

China has fostered pride in its shipbuilding prowess, especially here in Dalian.

From BBC

He said efforts to boost the UK economy and foster a strong financial services sector "wouldn't be consistent with tax rises".

From BBC