nest
Americannoun
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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.
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a place used by insects, fishes, turtles, rabbits, etc., for depositing their eggs or young.
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a number of birds, insects, animals, etc., inhabiting one such place.
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a snug retreat or refuge; resting place; home.
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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.
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a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes: a robber's nest.
a nest of vice;
a robber's nest.
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the occupants or frequenters of such a place.
verb (used with object)
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to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest.
to nest dishes in straw.
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to fit or place one within another.
to nest boxes for more compact storage.
verb (used without object)
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to build or have a nest.
The swallows nested under the eaves.
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to settle in or as if in a nest.
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to fit together or within another or one another.
bowls that nest easily for storage.
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to search for or collect nests.
to go nesting.
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Computers. to place a routine inside another routine that is at a higher hierarchical level.
noun
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a place or structure in which birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, mice, etc, lay eggs or give birth to young
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a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitat
an ants' nest
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a place fostering something undesirable
a nest of thievery
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the people in such a place
a nest of thieves
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a cosy or secluded place
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a set of things, usually of graduated sizes, designed to fit together
a nest of tables
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military a weapon emplacement
a machine-gun nest
verb
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(intr) to make or inhabit a nest
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(intr) to hunt for birds' nests
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(tr) to place in a nest
Other Word Forms
- nestable adjective
- nester noun
- nestlike adjective
- nesty adjective
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” ( nether ) + unattested zd-, variant of unattested sd-, ablaut variant of unattested sed-, verb base meaning “sit” ( sit 1 ) + unattested -o- thematic vowel
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.
This winter's extreme flooding has destroyed nests, drowned small mammals and threatens a sharp drop in butterflies and other species this spring.
From BBC
A 40-year-old in 1980 who put a chunk of their nest egg into gold only would have broken even last year, two decades into retirement.
Although some species likely guarded nests or protected hatchlings briefly, young dinosaurs became independent relatively quickly.
From Science Daily
The operation's name - "matryoshkas" are Russian nesting dolls - mirrors its method, which encases an original false claim in layers of ambient re-posts from old or hacked social media accounts.
From BBC
“We don’t have a lot of money. We don’t have a nest egg. We don’t own property. If we were going to do anything, we would need help.”
From Los Angeles Times
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.
