nourished

/ˈnʌr.ɪʃ/ (bre, ipa) · [nˈɚɪʃt] /ˈnɝː.ɪʃ/ (ame, ipa)

nourished — verb

  • nourishedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • nourisheds3rd person singular
  • nourisheding-ing form
  • nourishededpast simple

1. to give a person, animal, or plant the food and nutrients they need to grow and

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to give a person, animal, or plant the food and nutrients they need to grow and stay healthy, or to make soil richer so that plants grow well in it

例句

Salma nourishes her tomato plants with homemade compost every spring.

nourish + plant with [substance]

The river delta's rich silt nourishes the crops that feed millions of people.

同義詞
  • feed

    more general and everyday; 'feed' can be giving any food, while 'nourish' implies health-benefiting nutrients

  • sustain

    more formal; focuses on keeping someone alive rather than promoting growth

  • nurture

    broader — includes care beyond food, like emotional support

反義詞
  • starve

    to deprive of food completely

  • deplete

    to drain nutrients from (soil, body)

文法句型

nourish + noun phrase (person, animal, plant, soil)

用法筆記

Often used in the passive form 'be nourished' when the focus is on the recipient (person, plant, soil) rather than the giver. Can also apply to soil and plant care, not only human food.

常見錯誤

❌You should nourish to stay healthy.
✅You should nourish your body with good food to stay healthy.
💡'nourish' is transitive and always needs an object.
❌The soup nourished me up after the hike.
✅The soup nourished me after the hike.
💡'nourish' does not need 'up' as a particle; it is a standalone transitive verb.

2. to keep a feeling, belief, hope, or plan alive inside yourself and help it grow

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to keep a feeling, belief, hope, or plan alive inside yourself and help it grow stronger over time — for example, nourishing a dream of becoming a musician, or nourishing resentment after an unfair experience

例句

Benjamin nourished a secret ambition to become a pilot throughout his childhood.

nourish + ambition

Sayaka nourished the quiet hope that her missing brother would one day return safely.

同義詞
  • harbour

    suggests holding onto a feeling privately, often a negative one like resentment

  • foster

    more active and outward — helping something grow in others, not just inside yourself

  • cherish

    warmer, more affectionate; used with positive feelings like love or hope

  • cultivate

    suggests deliberate effort to develop a quality or skill over time

反義詞
  • suppress

    to force a feeling down and try not to feel it

  • abandon

    to give up a plan, hope, or belief completely

文法句型

nourish + abstract noun (hope, dream, belief, ambition, feeling)

用法筆記

In this sense the object is always an abstract noun such as hope, dream, ambition, belief, desire, resentment, or love. Typically used in literary or formal writing rather than everyday conversation.

常見錯誤

❌She nourished her son's new bicycle.
✅She nourished her son's interest in cycling.
💡the object must be a feeling, belief, or plan, not a physical object.
❌I nourished to become a doctor.
✅I nourished the dream of becoming a doctor.
💡'nourish' needs a noun phrase as object, not an infinitive.