# nursery

/ˈnɝsɝi/ (US) · /nˈɜːsəɹi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/nursery
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. childcare centre

noun · CEFR B1 · British English

a place where young children are cared for while their parents are at work.

For teachers: an establishment providing day care for children who are not yet old enough to attend primary school.

- She drops her daughter off at the nursery every morning before heading to the office.
- The local council has increased funding for community nurseries to ensure that working parents have access to affordable early childhood education.

### 2. baby's bedroom

noun · CEFR B1

a room in a house that is specially designed for a baby or small child.

For teachers: a room within a private residence set apart for the use of an infant or young children.

- They spent the weekend painting the nursery a soft yellow for the new baby.
- The interior designer suggested installing blackout curtains in the nursery to help the infant maintain a consistent sleep schedule during the bright summer months.

### 3. plant garden

noun · CEFR B2

a place where plants and trees are grown and sold to the public.

For teachers: a commercial establishment where plants are propagated and grown to a usable size for sale to gardeners or for use in landscaping.

- We went to the local nursery to buy some rose bushes for the front garden.
- The wholesale nursery specialises in native shrubs that are drought-resistant and suitable for the local climate.

### 4. place of growth

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary

a place or situation that helps something new to grow or develop.

For teachers: a place, person, or thing that fosters, nurtures, or promotes the growth and development of something else.

- The small university became a nursery for many great scientific ideas.
- Historians often describe the coffee houses of the eighteenth century as a nursery for radical political thought and intellectual debate.

### 5. billiards shot

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a type of shot in the game of billiards where the balls are kept very close together.

For teachers: a series of carom shots in which the balls are kept in close proximity to facilitate a high score.

- The professional player maintained control of the table with a perfect nursery shot.
- Mastering the nursery cannon requires immense delicacy of touch to keep the object balls from separating across the baize.

## Examples

- I drop my daughter off at the nursery every morning.
- The local nursery is having a sale on fruit trees and rose bushes this weekend.
- While the primary school is located in the village center, the nursery is situated on the outskirts to provide a quieter environment for the toddlers.

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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.