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bird's nest

American  

noun

  1. nest.

  2. Angling. backlash.


bird's-nest British  

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bird's nest

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Lee testified over the summer that he arrived at the restaurant in time for a dessert of bird’s nest soup, tasting it and deciding he did not like it.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 18, 2025

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

I walk super-slow and think about all the cool things I could be doing instead of grocery shopping, like studying the bird’s nest outside my parents’ bedroom window.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

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

From New York Times Oct. 16, 2019

She has bird's-nest hair, a candid air and a direct black gaze.

From The Guardian Jun. 12, 2014

Above, wire filament had been twisted into silvery bird’s-nest lamps by Enzo Catellani, who recently won a design award from Wallpaper magazine for another project.

From New York Times Sep. 28, 2012

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

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