nest

[ nest ]

/ nɛst /

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See synonyms for: nest / nested / nesting on Thesaurus.com

noun

a pocketlike, usually more or less circular structure of twigs, grass, mud, etc., formed by a bird, often high in a tree, as a place in which to lay and incubate its eggs and rear its young; any protected place used by a bird for these purposes.

a place used by insects, fishes, turtles, rabbits, etc., for depositing their eggs or young.

a number of birds, insects, animals, etc., inhabiting one such place.

a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.

an assemblage of things lying or set close together, as a series of boxes or trays, that fit within each other: a nest of tables.

a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes: a nest of vice; a robber's nest.

the occupants or frequenters of such a place.

verb (used with object)

to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest: to nest dishes in straw.

to fit or place one within another: to nest boxes for more compact storage.

verb (used without object)

to build or have a nest: The swallows nested under the eaves.

to settle in or as if in a nest.

to fit together or within another or one another: bowls that nest easily for storage.

to search for or collect nests: to go nesting.

Computers. to place a routine inside another routine that is at a higher hierarchical level.

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Origin of nest

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English (cognate with Dutch, German nest; akin to Latin nīdus “nest,” Old Irish net, Welsh nyth, Sanskrit nīḍa “lair”), ultimately from unattested Indo-European nizdo- “bird's nest,” equivalent to unattested ni “down” (see nether) + unattested zd-, variant of unattested sd-, ablaut variant of unattested sed-, verb base meaning “sit” (see sit¹) + unattested -o- thematic vowel

OTHER WORDS FROM nest

nest·a·ble, adjectivenester, nounnestlike, adjectivenesty, adjective

Words nearby nest

Nesselrode, Nessie, nesslerize, Nessler's reagent, Nessus, nest, NESTA, nest box, nested, nest egg, nesting

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nest in a sentence

With tens of millions across the US currently unemployed, the number of residents with anything close to an ample emergency nest egg has likely dropped even lower.
Hurricane Laura is the strongest storm to hit Louisiana in more than a century|Sara Chodosh|August 28, 2020|Popular-Science
Most creatures, most of the time, find it easier to do the latter than the former, which is why living things generally are more concerned with feathering their nests than de-feathering those of others.
Just Because It’s Natural Doesn’t Mean It’s Good - Issue 89: The Dark Side|David P. Barash|August 19, 2020|Nautilus
For example, some of them sat on eggs in open nests, like modern birds.
Early dinosaurs may have laid soft-shelled eggs|Jack J. Lee|August 3, 2020|Science News For Students
They also worry that the investigation could be used to build up his own nest of public funds and could be used to resurrect the controversial $470 million desalination project in Playas de Rosarito.
Border Report: Surviving in Tijuana Has Gotten Even Harder for Haitian Migrants|Maya Srikrishnan|July 20, 2020|Voice of San Diego

This could include whole nests of honeybees, other types of hornets and yellow jackets.
What you need to know about ‘murder hornets’|Susan Milius|July 20, 2020|Science News For Students
Unlike Brunner, Remer was itinerant, and spent much time in that other nest of postwar Nazis—Cairo.
Hitler’s Henchmen in Arabia|Guy Walters|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mark Reay is a handsome model-turned-photographer who is homeless, living in a secret ‘nest’ on top of an apartment building.
This Fashion World Darling Is Homeless|Erica Wagner|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And an eaglet does not start off flying from the ground, but from the nest.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles|Michael Daly|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he approached the wrecked nest, Patterson saw one of the eaglets on the exposed ground near the base of the tree.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles|Michael Daly|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He then spoke to the state police, who proved to be aware of the fallen nest.
He Faces Jail for Rescuing Baby Eagles|Michael Daly|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A small book, bound in full purple calf, lay half hidden in a nest of fine tissue paper on the dressing-table.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
Almost as soon as she had finished building her nest she had discovered a strange-looking egg there.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
The grass had a delightful fragrance, like new-mown hay, and was neatly wound around the tunnel, like the inside of a bird's-nest.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
And away she flew to her nest, leaving Grandfather Mole to talk to the air, if he wished.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Weimar being such a "kleines Nest (little nest)," as Liszt calls it, every stranger is immediately remarked.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for nest

nest

/ (nɛst) /

noun

a place or structure in which birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, mice, etc, lay eggs or give birth to young

a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitatan ants' nest

a place fostering something undesirablea nest of thievery

the people in such a placea nest of thieves

a cosy or secluded place

a set of things, usually of graduated sizes, designed to fit togethera nest of tables

military a weapon emplacementa machine-gun nest

verb

(intr) to make or inhabit a nest

(intr) to hunt for birds' nests

(tr) to place in a nest

Derived forms of nest

nester, nounnestlike, adjective

Word Origin for nest

Old English; related to Latin nīdus (nest) and to beneath, sit

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with nest

nest

see empty nest; feather one's nest; foul one's nest; stir up a hornet's nest.

nest

Origin of nest

OTHER WORDS FROM nest

Words nearby nest

Words related to nest

How to use nest in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nest

Derived forms of nest

Word Origin for nest

Other Idioms and Phrases with nest