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• bird's nest
  bird's nest

  noun

  nest.
• bird's-nest
  bird's-nest

  verb

  (intr) to search for the nests of birds in order to collect the eggs

bird's nest

American  

noun

1. nest.

2. Angling. backlash.

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bird's-nest British  

verb

1. (intr) to search for the nests of birds in order to collect the eggs

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Etymology

Origin of bird's nest

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bird's nest bird's-nest

Some ingredients commonly found in Chinese fine dining include qi-boosting gelatinous fish maw, collagen-rich bird’s nest and nutrient-dense sea cucumber.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025

It’s mostly not acceptable to go about daily life dressed as a matchbox or wearing a bird’s nest, rubbish, or lobster claws on one’s head, even if it is designed by Dior.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2025

Now, TV is so loaded with running mascara and bird’s nest hair that it’s difficult to tell shows apart.

From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2025

The nests, made from the birds’ saliva, are the key ingredient in bird’s nest soup, an expensive delicacy believed by many Chinese to have health benefits.

From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 2024

I glance down into the water, seeing myself, my hair a bird’s nest, bandage across half my head, dirtier than an old ewe.

From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness

He is sporting a veteran-boho look: what seems like about six black cardigans on top of each other, lots of chunky finger jewellery and messy bird’s-nest hair.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 1, 2019

While he spoke, his colleague was weighing the bird’s-nest cubes.

From New York Times ● Oct. 16, 2019

Sleigh revels in the moment in Jordan when a skilled Syrian refugee finds a new life as the baker of a honeyed bird’s-nest pastry called kenafeh.

From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2018

With her bird's-nest hair, gutsy attitude and wardrobe from hell, along with the band's ferocious sound, Ari confounded her audiences.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 21, 2010

So, I presented Joe to Herbert, who held out his hand; but Joe backed from it, and held on by the bird’s-nest.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens