What does "foster" mean?
A foster parent.
Foster
/ˈfɒs.tə/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A foster parent.
- Grammar: foster is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abet, accommodate, acculturate, actuate.
- Useful contrasts: biological classification, strangulated, stunted.
- Usage evidence: This song was written by Foster.
How to use "foster"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "foster" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "foster" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "foster" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "foster" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "foster" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abet" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "foster", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A foster parent. countable, informal
"Some fosters end up adopting."
- 2 A forester. obsolete
"A griesly Foster forth did rush."
- 3 The care given to another; guardianship. uncountable
Verb
- 1 To nurture or bring up offspring, or to provide similar parental care to an unrelated child. transitive
"Some ſay that Rauens foſter forlorne children, / The whilſt their owne birds famiſh in their neſts: / Oh be to me though thy hard hart ſay no, / Nothing ſo kinde but ſomething pittiful."
- 2 help develop, help grow wordnet
- 3 To promote the development of something; to cultivate and grow a thing. transitive
"Our company fosters an appreciation for the arts."
- 4 bring up under fosterage; of children wordnet
- 5 To nurse or cherish something. transitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 promote the growth of wordnet
- 7 To be nurtured or trained up together. intransitive, obsolete
"There Florimell, in her first ages flowre, And passing beautie did eftsoones reveale, Was fostered by those Graces"
Adjective
- 1 Providing parental care to children not related to oneself. not-comparable
"foster parents"
- 2 Receiving such care. not-comparable
"a foster child"
- 3 Related by such care. not-comparable
"We are a foster family."
Adjective
- 1 providing or receiving nurture or parental care though not related by blood or legal ties wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 An English surname originating as an occupation, variant of Forster. countable, uncountable
"The Mets got that four-run cushion in the seventh when George Foster stepped in as a pinch-hitter and hit a two-run homer for the 5-1 final."
- 2 A male given name transferred from the surname. countable, uncountable
- 3 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A former settlement in San Diego County, California. countable, uncountable
- 4 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Warren County, Indiana. countable, uncountable
- 5 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Bracken County, Kentucky. countable, uncountable
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A township and unincorporated community therein, in Big Stone County, Minnesota. countable, uncountable
- 7 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A village in Bates County, Missouri; named for Ohio governor Charles Foster. countable, uncountable
- 8 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A village in Pierce County, Nebraska; named for George Foster, original owner of town's site. countable, uncountable
- 9 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Garvin County, Oklahoma. countable, uncountable
- 10 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community partly in Sweet Home, Linn County, Oregon. countable, uncountable
- 11 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Providence County, Rhode Island; named for Rhode Island statesman Theodore Foster. countable, uncountable
- 12 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; A town in Clark County, Wisconsin. countable, uncountable
- 13 A placename; A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Clear Creek, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. countable, uncountable
- 14 A placename; A village in the town of Brome Lake, Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality, southern Quebec, Canada. countable, uncountable
- 15 A placename; A town in South Gippsland Shire, south-east Victoria, Australia. countable, uncountable
- 16 A placename; Ellipsis of Foster County. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"This song was written by Foster."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "foster"?
Common synonyms include: abet, accommodate, acculturate, actuate, adopt, adopt policy.
How do you use "foster" in a sentence?
This song was written by Foster.
How do you pronounce "foster"?
Pronounced /ˈfɒs.tə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English foster, from Old English fōstor (“food, sustenance”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōstr, from Proto-Germanic *fōstrą (“nourishment, food”). Cognate with Middle Dutch voester (“nursemaid”), Middle Low German vôster (“food”), Old Norse fóstr (“nurturing, education, alimony, child support”), Danish foster (“fetus”), Swedish foster (“fetus”).
Etymology 2
English surname, reduced from Forster; also from the noun foster.