1 nursemaid | Definition of nursemaid

nursemaid

noun
nurse·​maid | \ ˈnərs-ˌmād How to pronounce nursemaid (audio) \

Definition of nursemaid

: a girl or woman who is regularly employed to look after children

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Synonyms for nursemaid

Synonyms

babysitter, dry nurse, nanny (also nannie), nurse, nurser, sitter

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Examples of nursemaid in a Sentence

sent the children to their nursemaid

Recent Examples on the Web

Torn's cagey Arthur often had to become a multi-hyphenate nursemaid-therapist-taskmaster to the talented, but hugely insecure host Larry Sanders (Garry Shandling), who called him Artie. Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, "Rip Torn, the joyfully cynical producer on 'The Larry Sanders Show,' dies at 88," 10 July 2019 With the assistance of nursemaid/housekeeper Mrs. Blott, Maisie is raised by her father, Peter, a distracted academic who treats his daughter more like an experiment than as a child. Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle, "Science fiction and fantasy books: ‘Belly Up,’ ‘What Should Be Wild,’ ‘84K’," 7 June 2018 Here are nursemaids and newsboys; elegant sisters in their Sunday best; gentlemen out for a stroll in striped vests. Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Black Dolls on Showcase at a Parisian Gallery Have a Poignant Story to Tell," 16 Mar. 2018 Three people attended Toole's funeral at St. Peter and Paul Church: his mother, his father and Beulah Mathews, his childhood nursemaid. Mike Scott, NOLA.com, "John Kennedy Toole, the genius behind 'Dunces': 1 of 300," 14 Feb. 2018 There was some luxury casting of smaller roles: the potent bass Matthew Rose as Norma’s father and the tribal chief Oroveso, and the opulent soprano Michelle Bradley as Clotilde, nursemaid to Norma’s children. Heidi Waleson, WSJ, "Bellini and Brontosaurs," 26 Sep. 2017 Pushkin began jotting down his old nursemaid’s stories in the 1820s while in internal exile at the family estate. Marina Harss, New York Times, "Review: ‘The Golden Cockerel’ at American Ballet Theater Honors Its Origins JUNE 7, 2016," 1 June 2016 The first was Joice Heth, a blind slave who was supposedly the 161-year-old nursemaid of George Washington. N. R. Kleinfield, New York Times, "Fans Brace for Farewell as Ringling Brothers, ‘Elixir of Youth,’ Fades," 30 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nursemaid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of nursemaid

1657, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for nursemaid

nursemaid

noun

English Language Learners Definition of nursemaid

old-fashioned : a girl or woman whose job is to take care of children

nursemaid

noun
nurse·​maid | \ ˈnərs-ˌmād How to pronounce nursemaid (audio) \

Kids Definition of nursemaid

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