Cryptic crossword clue
US return surprisingly offers encouragement 8

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word NURTURES

I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
N
U
R
T
U
R
E
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "offers encouragement" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case offers encouragement = nurtures.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does NURTURES mean?

NURTURES noun
  1. The act of nourishing or nursing; tender care
  2. That which nourishes; food; diet.
  3. The environmental influences that contribute to the development of an individual (as opposed to "nature").

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