- present participle of nestle.
nestling
Americannoun
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a young bird not yet fledged
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( as modifier )
a nestling thrush
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any young person or animal
Etymology
Origin of nestling
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English; see origin at nest, -ling 1
Explanation
A nestling is a baby bird that can't fly yet and tends to hang out in its — yes, you guessed it — nest. Nestlings have to be fed and cared for by their parents. From the moment a baby bird hatches from its egg, it is a nestling — and it remains a nestling until it learns to fly, when it officially becomes a fledgling. Some people fondly refer to young children as nestlings too. This noun adds the diminutive ending -ling (as in gosling for baby goose) to nest.
Vocabulary lists containing nestling
Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - Middle School
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Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - Introductory
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Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - High School
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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.
In the oven, the liquid reduces into something richer, the dumplings nestling into a creamy, deeply savory sauce that edges toward casserole territory.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
During the summer of 2018, when Stormy was still a nestling, “an adult male intruder showed up to the nest and with great tenacity, refused to leave,” wrote Friends of Big Bear Valley.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
We explore historic and natural sights in Lisbon and nearby, including the breathtaking hills nestling the palaces of Sintra.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Wigan’s eight-point deduction at the start of the season has left them nestling in mid-table, but they have failed to win any of their last three home games, including Friday’s 1-1 draw against Cheltenham.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2024
There was a narrow foreshore at the foot of the little cliff and this was littered with the rubbish of the colony—sticks, droppings, feathers, a broken egg and a dead nestling or two.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
