foster

[faw-ster, fos-ter] /ˈfɔ stər, ˈfɒs tər/

verb (used with object)

to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage:

to foster new ideas.

to bring up, raise, or rear, as a foster child.

to care for or cherish.

British. to place (a child) in a foster home.

Obsolete. to feed or nourish.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English; Old English fōstor nourishment, fōstrian to nourish; cognate with Old Norse fōstr; akin to food

Related forms

fosterer, noun

fosteringly, adverb

unfostered, adjective

unfostering, adjective

Synonyms

1. favor, forward, advance; foment, instigate. 2. nurse, nourish, sustain, support, maintain. 3. See cherish.

Antonyms

1. discourage.

Foster

[faw-ster, fos-ter] /ˈfɔ stər, ˈfɒs tər/

noun

Stephen (Collins) 1826–64, U.S. songwriter.

William Z(ebulon)

[zeb-yuh-luh n] /ˈzɛb yə lən/ (Show IPA), 1881–1961, U.S. labor organizer: leader in the Communist Party.

a male given name.

Examples from the web for foster

Resources and training for foster parents, relatives, and respite care providers.
foster parents play a crucial role in ensuring the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in their care.
Many kinds of piracy are useful and productive, either to create new content or foster new ways of doing business.
The exchange of information is one of the best ways to foster progress.
foster has achieved what no other architect has been able to: he has rethought the airport from scratch and made it work.
Time and natural selection due to physical and environmental variation worked in concert with isolation to foster adaptations.
Such aspirations are thought to foster the kind of behavior that leads to self-improvement.
It is the arts after all, better than almost any other pursuit, that foster a connection between humans from all times and places.
Now, anything they publish has to be judged in light of the garbage science they foster.
Businesses have even been known to hold meetings in virtual space to foster teamwork.

British Dictionary definitions for foster

foster

/ˈfɒstə/

verb (transitive)

to promote the growth or development of

to bring up (a child, etc); rear

to cherish (a plan, hope, etc) in one's mind

(mainly Brit)

to place (a child) in the care of foster parents
to bring up under fosterage

adjective

(in combination) indicating relationship through fostering and not through birth: foster mother, foster child

(in combination) of or involved in the rearing of a child by persons other than his natural or adopted parents: foster home

Derived Forms

fosterer, noun
fostering, noun

Word Origin

Old English fōstrian to feed, from fōstorfood

Foster

/ˈfɒstə/

noun

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)

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)

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

Word Origin and History for foster

Old English *fostrian "to supply with food, nourish, support," from fostor "food, nourishment, bringing up," from Proto-Germanic *fostrom, from root *foth-/*fod- (see food).

Meaning "to bring up a child with parental care" is from c.1200; that of "to encourage or help grow" is early 13c. of things; 1560s of feelings, ideas, etc. Old English also had the adjective meaning "in the same family but not related," in fostorfæder, etc. Related: Fostered; fostering.