nest

1 of 2

noun

ˈnest 

1

a

: a bed or receptacle prepared by an animal and especially a bird for its eggs and young

b

: a place or specially modified structure serving as an abode of animals and especially of their immature stages

an ants' nest

c

: a receptacle resembling a bird's nest

2

a

: a place of rest, retreat, or lodging : home

grown children who have left the nest

b

: den, hangout

3

: the occupants or frequenters of a nest

4

a

: a group of similar things

a nest of giant mountains

—Helen MacInnes

b

: hotbed sense 2

a nest of rebellion

5

: a group of objects made to fit close together or one within another

6

: an emplaced group of weapons

nest

2 of 2

verb

nested; nesting; nests

intransitive verb

1

: to build or occupy a nest : settle in or as if in a nest

2

: to fit compactly together or within one another : embed

transitive verb

1

: to form a nest for

2

: to pack compactly together

3

: to form a hierarchy, series, or sequence of with each member, element, or set contained in or containing the next

nested subroutines

Synonyms

Noun

• breeding ground
• hotbed
• hothouse
• nidus
• nursery
• seedbed
• seminary

Examples of nest in a Sentence

Noun

The bird built a nest out of small twigs.

If you look closely, you can see a nest in that tree.

They lived in a cozy little nest in the suburbs.

Verb

Robins nested in the tree.

She studied the nesting habits of the turtle.

The set of four chairs can nest into one stack.

The smaller bowl is designed to nest inside the larger one.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This female Red-bellied Woodpecker had been investigating this Screech Owl nest for a couple of days. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

The scrub-jays used to nest in mid-March, but the nesting period has shifted to late February, giving snakes a longer amount of time during the spring season to feed on the nests. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Dec. 2024

Verb

The fourth edition of the Red Sea Souk, the market arm of the Red Sea Film Foundation, came to a wrap on Wednesday afternoon after five days of activities nested within the dates of the Red Sea Film Festival. —Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024

Like the 5960 above, this watch nests the timing function in a series of sub dials at 6 o’clock. —Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German nest nest, Latin nidus

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing nest

• bird's-nest fern
• bird's nest soup
• crow's nest
• empty-nest syndrome
• feather one's nest
• hornet's nest
• leave/flee the nest
• love nest
• mare's nest
• nest egg

Kids Definition

nest

1 of 2 noun

ˈnest 

1

a

: a place or structure where eggs are laid and hatched or young are raised

a turtle's nest

the nest of a bird

a mouse's nest

b

: the home or shelter of an animal (as a squirrel or chimpanzee)

2

a

: a place of rest, retreat, or lodging : home

grown children who have left the nest

b

: den sense 2, hangout

the robbers' nest

3

: the occupants of a nest

a nest of baby birds

4

: a group of objects made to fit one within another

a nest of measuring cups

nest

2 of 2 verb

1

: to build or live in a nest

robins nested in the tree

2

: to fit compactly together or within one another

a set of tables that nest for storage

Medical Definition

nest

noun

ˈnest 

: an isolated collection or clump of cells in tissue of a different structure

a nest of sarcomatous cells