nestle

[ nes-uhl ]

verb (used without object)

, nes·tled, nes·tling.

1. to lie close and snug, like a bird in a nest; snuggle or cuddle.
2. to lie or be located in a sheltered spot; be naturally or pleasantly situated:

   a cottage nestling in a pine grove.

3. Archaic.
   1. to make or have a nest.
   2. to make one's home; settle in a home.

verb (used with object)

, nes·tled, nes·tling.

1. to settle or ensconce snugly:

   He nestled himself into the hay for a short nap.

2. to put or press confidingly or affectionately:

   She nestled her head on his shoulder.

3. to provide with or settle in a nest, as a bird.

nestle

/ ˈnɛsəl /

verb

1. intr; often foll by up or down to snuggle, settle, or cuddle closely
2. intr to be in a sheltered or protected position; lie snugly
3. tr to shelter or place snugly or partly concealed, as in a nest

Derived Forms

• ˈnestler, noun

Other Words From

• nestler noun
• un·nestled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of nestle¹

before 1000; Middle English nestlen, Old English nestlian, cognate with Dutch nestelen. See nest, -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of nestle¹

Old English nestlian. See nest

Example Sentences

The Manin-Mumford conjecture has to do with how many times one of these complicated curves, nestled inside its Jacobian, intersects the torsion points of the Jacobian.

From Quanta Magazine

In the days after, he headed about 80 miles south, to a tiny town nestled in the Santa Cruz mountains.

From ProPublica

Many of the 3,000 delegates who gathered at the end of January in the town nestled in the Swiss Alps were unaware that a global pandemic was looming.

From Quartz

For a tree topper, the bow is nestled in a series of loops, with ribbon going down.

From Washington Post

If our galaxy is nestled within a vast sphere of gas, this halo might be storing enough mass to account for the Milky Way’s “missing” matter.

From Popular-Science

Low-hanging clouds nestle among the layers of mountains; horses and cows graze in the middle distance.

From The Daily Beast

“It was tough to get the Star of David to nestle within the right patch of chest hair,” jokes Wilkinson.

From The Daily Beast

Last year, Breyer sold his stock in Nestle so he could participate in a case involving that company.

From The Daily Beast

For a moment the girl suffered the caress; almost she seemed to nestle closer to the Dowager's shoulder.

From Project Gutenberg

In your radiant and immaculate bosom the divine spark may be enshrined, a place without sullying where it may fitly nestle.

From Project Gutenberg

No hateful furniture; clay against clay: they seemed almost to nestle in it.

From Project Gutenberg

We approach and watch the enormous rock seeming to grow taller and taller as we nestle beneath it in the beautiful harbor.

From Project Gutenberg

Swallows are not very common; they do not nestle on the housetops, but on walls at some distance from towns.

From Project Gutenberg