bird's nest
noun
nest.
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bird's nest
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bird's-nest
bird's-nestverb(intr) to search for the nests of birds in order to collect the eggs
bird's-nest
British
verb
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
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
His russet beard was a bird’s nest tangle; one cheek was pulled downwards by an ugly scar, and whatever had bitten him had taken off one ear.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
