# nanny

/ˈnæni/ (US) · /nˈæni/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/nanny
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. childcare worker

noun · CEFR B1

a person who is paid to live with a family and take care of their children.

For teachers: a professional childcare provider employed by a family to care for children in the family's home.

- The family hired a nanny to look after the twins while the parents were at work.
- After the birth of their third child, the couple decided to employ a live-in nanny to manage the demanding daily schedule.

### 2. grandmother

noun · CEFR A2 · Informal

a name that some people use for their grandmother.

For teachers: a familiar or colloquial term for a grandmother.

- We are going to visit Nanny and Grandad this weekend.
- In many British households, 'Nanny' is the preferred affectionate title for a maternal grandmother, distinguished from 'Granny' on the paternal side.

### 3. female goat

noun · CEFR B2

a female goat.

For teachers: a female goat, often used in the compound 'nanny goat' to distinguish it from a 'billy goat'.

- The farmer kept one nanny goat for milk and several others for breeding.
- The nanny goat was protective of her kids, bleating loudly whenever the farm dog approached the enclosure.

### 4. to work as a nanny

verb · CEFR B2

to work as a person who takes care of children.

For teachers: to perform the duties of a nanny; to provide professional childcare.

- She spent her gap year nannying for a family in Paris to improve her French.
- He supported himself through university by nannying for local families during the summer holidays.

### 5. to overprotect

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to treat someone like a child or protect them too much.

For teachers: to treat someone in an overprotective or patronising manner, as if they were a small child.

- I am an adult and I don't need the government to nanny me.
- Critics of the new sugar tax argued that the government was attempting to nanny the public instead of encouraging personal responsibility.

Usage: often used in political contexts like 'nanny state'

## Examples

- The family hired a nanny to look after their two young children.
- After returning to work full-time, they decided that hiring a nanny was more convenient than using a local daycare center.
- The relationship between a long-term nanny and their charges often transcends mere employment, frequently evolving into a profound emotional bond that persists well into the children's adult lives.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.