nest
noun
\ ˈnest
\
\
Definition of nest
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a bed or receptacle prepared by an animal and especially a bird for its eggs and young
b
: a place or specially modified structure serving as an abode of animals and especially of their immature stages
an ants' nest
c
: a receptacle resembling a bird's nest
2a
: a place of rest, retreat, or lodging : home
grown children who have left the nest
3
: the occupants or frequenters of a nest
4a
: a group of similar things
a nest of giant mountains— Helen MacInnes
b
: hotbed sense 2
a nest of rebellion
5
: a group of objects made to fit close together or one within another
6
: an emplaced group of weapons
nest
verb
nested;
nesting;
nests
Definition of nest (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to build or occupy a nest : settle in or as if in a nest
2
: to fit compactly together or within one another : embed
1
: to form a nest for
2
: to pack compactly together
3
: to form a hierarchy, series, or sequence of with each member, element, or set contained in or containing the next
nested subroutines
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Synonyms for nest
Synonyms: Noun
breeding ground, hotbed, hothouse, nidus, nursery, seedbed, seminary
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Examples of nest in a Sentence
Noun
The bird built a nest out of small twigs. If you look closely, you can see a nest in that tree. They lived in a cozy little nest in the suburbs.Verb
Robins nested in the tree. She studied the nesting habits of the turtle. The set of four chairs can nest into one stack. The smaller bowl is designed to nest inside the larger one.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The tilt-rotor Ospreys, part-plane part-helicopter, come and go while the others in their flock nest, folded in gray ranks, along the edges of the deck. — Sam Kiley, CNN, "On the ship that downed a military drone, one small mistake could cause a war with Iran," 19 July 2019 Without owls, Caliman says, plantation managers would need to buy rodenticides worth up to $4 per hectare annually; to lure the birds, Sinar Mas has installed 26,000 artificial nest boxes on Sumatra. — Dyna Rochmyaningsih, Science | AAAS, "Courting controversy, scientists team with industry to tackle one of the world’s most destructive crops," 11 July 2019 Birding experts say the feathered attackers are just protecting their nests. — Saja Hindi, The Denver Post, "It’s not a Hitchcock movie at Sloan’s Lake. It’s just little birds defending their nests.," 8 July 2019 These days, parent birds are busy feeding their rapidly-growing chicks, who are getting ready to leave their nests. — Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, "He has a real eagle eye — Wabasha man’s collection is the largest in the country," 29 June 2019 The construction of artificial nests for the penguins also helps. — Jenny Howard, National Geographic, "Go inside a penguin rescue center with new 360 video," 29 July 2019 About 10 to 13 breeding pairs nest in the preserve. — Ben Brazil, Daily Pilot, "The Dana Point Headlands is setting an example for how conservation can be done in urban areas," 27 July 2019 The cubs are blind for about a month after birth, and red panda mothers keep cubs hidden in nests for the first two to three months. — Jordyn Noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Milwaukee County Zoo announced the birth of another adorable red panda," 24 July 2019 Hays County and other opponents have threatened to sue Kinder Morgan under the Endangered Species Act to protect the habitat of the golden-cheeked warbler, a rare songbird that only nests in the Texas Hill Country. — Sergio Chapa, Houston Chronicle, "Kinder Morgan sues Austin suburb over anti-pipeline ordinance," 22 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
According to state records, there were 68 nesting bald eagle pairs documented in Massachusetts during 2017. — Michael P. Norton, BostonGlobe.com, "Bald eagle recovering, two bee species marked as endangered in Mass.," 16 Aug. 2019 The Atlantic beaches along the coastline in Palm Beach County account for major turtle-nesting sites where these large, docile marine mammals return, year after year. — John Christopher Fine, sun-sentinel.com, "Rejoice as turtles make their return | Opinion," 15 Aug. 2019 Bare patches of dirt next to city streets mark where the trees once offered shade, nesting havens for birds and leafy beauty. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Whodunit? Case of the missing downtown San Diego trees," 9 Aug. 2019 The Chicago Park District worked tirelessly with Mamby organizers and the community to reach a reasonable compromise that accommodated all patrons, including Mamby ticket holders and the endangered, nesting plovers. — Morgan Greene, chicagotribune.com, "Mamby on the Beach festival canceled amid bird flap," 19 July 2019 In fact, a reintroduction program launched about 20 years ago soared past the goal of having at least 30 pairs of nesting ospreys in Southeast Michigan by 2020 nearly a decade ago. — Michigan Wildlife Council, Detroit Free Press, "Osprey outlook brightens in Southeast Michigan thanks to resident lookouts," 10 July 2019 Under the Turtle Nesting Protection Ordinance, the city of Miami Beach has worked to minimize the impact of artificial lighting on hatchlings and nesting sea turtles. — Eric Todisco, PEOPLE.com, "Woman Arrested for Allegedly ‘Stomping All Over’ Nest of Sea Turtles on Florida Beach," 17 June 2019 After evacuation and treatment in Moscow, many of these first responders died and were buried in nesting pairs of zinc caskets. — Sophie Pinkham, The New York Review of Books, "The Chernobyl Syndrome," 4 Apr. 2019 The falcons were introduced in Ohio in the 1980s and began nesting on the Terminal Tower in 1988. — Robert Higgs, cleveland.com, "Cleveland gives OK to state to use underside of Fulton Road bridge as nesting site for peregrine falcons," 24 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for nest
nest
noun
English Language Learners Definition of nest
(Entry 1 of 2)
: the place where a bird lays its eggs and takes care of its young
: a place where an animal or insect lives and usually lays eggs or takes care of its young
: a home where people live
nest
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of nest (Entry 2 of 2)
: to build or live in a nest
: to fit inside each other
See the full definition for nest in the English Language Learners Dictionary