Foster

/'fɔstə/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Verb:

    • To help the development or growth of something; to encourage or promote: This is the primary meaning, referring to actively supporting the advancement of an idea, feeling, skill, or environment.
    • To bring up a child that is not one's own by birth, typically for a limited time: This meaning refers to providing parental care and a home for a child without adopting them.
  2. Adjective:

    • Denoting a relationship involving the care and upbringing of a child by someone not their biological or legal parent: Used to describe the family, home, or parent in such a caring arrangement.
Usage and Examples
  • Verb (to promote development):

    • The teacher's goal is to foster a love of learning in her students.
    • The new policy aims to foster innovation within the company.
    • Good communication fosters trust in a relationship.
  • Verb (to care for a child):

    • They decided to foster two children while their parents were unable to care for them.
    • Many families open their homes to foster teenagers in need.
  • Adjective (describing a care relationship):

    • She grew up with her foster parents from the age of five.
    • The child was placed in a foster home.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
  • Foster as a verb often implies a temporary, nurturing, or facilitating role rather than a permanent or creating one. One fosters growth, an atmosphere, or a child's well-being for a period.
  • The adjective foster is almost exclusively used in the context of child-rearing and family relationships (e.g., foster child, foster family). It is not typically used as a general adjective like "supportive."
Variants and Related Words
  • Fosterage (noun): The act of fostering a child; the system or state of being in foster care. (Less common in modern usage.)
  • Fostering (noun/gerund): The action of fostering.
Synonyms
  • Verb (promote): Encourage, nurture, stimulate, promote, cultivate, advance.
  • Verb (care for): Raise, rear, bring up, care for, look after.
  • Adjective: Surrogate.
Antonyms
  • Verb (promote): Neglect, hinder, stifle, discourage, suppress.
  • Verb (care for): Abandon, neglect.
Common Collocations and Phrases
  • Foster care: The system or state of being raised by foster parents.
  • Foster parent/father/mother: An adult who temporarily acts as a parent to a child not their own.
  • Foster child: A child being raised by foster parents.
  • Foster home: The family home where a foster child lives.
  • To foster cooperation/growth/understanding: Common verb-noun pairings emphasizing development.
Adjective
  1. providing or receiving nurture or parental care though not related by blood or legal ties
    • foster parent
    • foster child
    • foster home
    • surrogate father
Verb
  1. help develop, help grow
    • nurture his talents
  2. bring up under fosterage; of children
  3. promote the growth of
    • Foster our children's well-being and education
Noun
  1. United States songwriter whose songs embody the sentiment of the South before the American Civil War (1826-1864)