nest

American  

[nest] / nɛst /

noun

• nests
  plural

1. 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.

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

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

4. a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.

5. 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.

6. a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes: a robber's nest.

   a nest of vice;

   a robber's nest.

7. the occupants or frequenters of such a place.

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verb (used with object)

• nests,
  present (3rd person singular)
• nested,
  past participle,  past
• nesting
  present participle

1. to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest.

   to nest dishes in straw.

2. to fit or place one within another.

   to nest boxes for more compact storage.

verb (used without object)

• nests,
  present (3rd person singular)
• nested,
  past participle,  past
• nesting
  present participle

1. to build or have a nest.

   The swallows nested under the eaves.

2. to settle in or as if in a nest.

3. to fit together or within another or one another.

   bowls that nest easily for storage.

4. to search for or collect nests.

   to go nesting.

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

nest British  

/ nɛst /

noun

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

2. a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitat

   an ants' nest

3. a place fostering something undesirable

   a nest of thievery

4. the people in such a place

   a nest of thieves

5. a cosy or secluded place

6. a set of things, usually of graduated sizes, designed to fit together

   a nest of tables

7. military a weapon emplacement

   a machine-gun nest

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verb

1. (intr) to make or inhabit a nest

2. (intr) to hunt for birds' nests

3. (tr) to place in a nest

nest Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nester
  noun
• nestable
  adjective
• nestlike
  adjective
• nesty
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nests
  plural

Participles

• nesting
  present
• nested
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• nest
  simple
• nests
  simple
• have nested
  perfect
• has nested
  perfect
• am nesting
  progressive
• are nesting
  progressive
• is nesting
  progressive
• have been nesting
  perfect progressive
• has been nesting
  perfect progressive

Past

• nested
  simple
• had nested
  perfect
• was nesting
  progressive
• were nesting
  progressive
• had been nesting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will nest
  simple
• will have nested
  perfect
• will be nesting
  progressive
• will have been nesting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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 sit ¹) + unattested -o- thematic vowel

Explanation

A nest is a shelter or other structure that an animal uses for laying eggs or giving birth. If a bird is collecting string and straw and twigs in your yard, she's probably building a nest in a nearby tree. Large birds of prey build nests that can be six feet high, in trees or on buildings, and up to three feet wide. Owls often make nests in tree hollows, while orioles build elaborate hammock-like nests that hang from branches. Foxes, mice, and raccoons also build nests, and people can make nests too, cozy spots to settle for a nap. As a verb, nest means "to build a nest or fit inside something larger."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nest nests nested nesting

What you bring back with you is not only lifelong experiences and memories but also a substantial contribution to your future nest egg.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Beekeepers who feared a damaging new arrival of Asian hornets in the Greater Manchester area helped track down their nest after sightings sparked an urgent search.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Many Americans dream of relocating in retirement to stretch their nest eggs, and they often do it by moving to low-tax states.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

In the warm, dry spring a glut of glorious foundresses – new queens – emerged from hibernation to start their nests alone, carrying out all the nest building, egg laying, foraging and brood rearing.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

I dismantled my sleeping nest to repurpose its branches and hewed off additional ones from nearby trees.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Chinook salmon have been laying eggs in gravelly nests in the Sacramento River for millennia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

State biologists who monitor salmon nests in the Sacramento River estimated on Sept. 4 that about 20% of the eggs may not survive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

White-tailed eagle chicks have successfully fledged from wild nests in England for the fourth consecutive year.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Now, even professional pest-controllers tell me it’s a quiet year with very few requests to remove wasp nests.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

They came to a slope where the Forest floor was bumpy with the waist-high nests of wood-ants.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Below, on a plain white plate, sat the actual dish: shrimp nested in crisp cups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Watch for clues when the storyline we’re watching becomes its own nested narrative.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Now, a group of the birds have nested at an industrial estate near Guildford, with the hope they will rear chicks in the coming years.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

The novellas are composed of nested stories inspired by Scheherazade’s tales in “One Thousand and One Nights.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026

A family of birds had nested on the roof of the classroom.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

While they’ve been spotted in Southern California before, this is the first known case of the species nesting in the United States.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

"It will be terrible for some of the birds, seabirds that are nesting here that are quite endangered."

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Under this proposal, assets buried inside a 20-layer Russian nesting doll of shell companies would face a 20% tax penalty when distributed, or 1% for every layer.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

Features such as stingers, specialized nesting behaviors and other biological traits may have created conditions that made cooperation more advantageous and helped sophisticated insect societies emerge again and again.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

I kept imagining five of him, only different in size, like a good-looking set of nesting dolls.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

Related Words

• burrow
• den
• refuge