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NEST Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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View synonyms for nest

nest

[ nest ]

noun

  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.


verb (used with object)

  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)

  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

/ 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

“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

verb

  1. intr to make or inhabit a nest
  2. intr to hunt for birds' nests
  3. tr to place in a nest
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈnestˌlike, adjective
  • ˈnester, noun
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Other Words From

  • nesta·ble adjective
  • nester noun
  • nestlike adjective
  • nesty adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of nest1

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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of nest1

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

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

“You can go beneath raven nests on power poles and see piles of dead baby tortoises that were opened, killed, carried to the nests by adults and fed to the babies,” he said.

A master of disguise, an evil genius with plenty of tricks up his wings and a relentless pursuer of retribution, Feathers McGraw nests among cinema’s great villains without ever having crooned a single chirp.

During a site visit to the camp in September, the court saw rips in some of the tents and rats nesting above military cots that the migrants were given as beds.

From BBC

Ecologists warn of the effect on the Galathea Bay on the south-eastern side of the island, which has been the nesting place for giant leatherback sea turtles for centuries.

From BBC

Wallace is a solid, morally sound politician in a nest of corruption.

From Salon

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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.

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