verb
rear
To care for children or animals as they grow.
They rear their children in a home filled with books.
Etymology
The verb for raising something extended to raising living beings through growth. Rearing children or animals means sustaining and caring for their development.
More examples
- The farmer rears calves in a warm, clean barn.
- Her grandparents reared her after her parents died.
- Rearing orphaned kittens requires frequent feeding.
Forms
rear · rears · reared · rearing