Definition of 'nest'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense nests
, present participle nesting
, past tense, past participle nested
1. countable noun [oft poss NOUN]
A bird's nest is the home that it makes to lay its eggs in.
2. verb
3. countable noun [usually poss NOUN]
4. countable noun [usually with poss]
You can refer to a place as your nest when it is your home or where you feel comfortable and relaxed.
5. countable noun [NOUN of noun]
You can use nest to refer to a place where something bad is being done or to the people there who are doing it.
6. See also crow's nest, love nest
7.
8.
See fly the nest
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
nest in British English
noun
1.
4.
the people in such a place
a nest of thieves
verb
10. (transitive)
to place in a nest
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
nester (ˈnester) noun
nestlike (ˈnestˌlike)
adjective
Word origin
Old English; related to Latin nīdus (nest) and to beneath, sitWord Frequency
nest in American English
noun
1.
the structure made or the place chosen by birds for laying their eggs and sheltering their young
2.
b.
the structure made or the place chosen by any of certain wild animals as its home
a squirrel's nest
4.
verb intransitive
7.
to build or live in or as in a nest
8.
to fit one into another
9.
to hunt for birds' nests
usually in the present participle verb transitive
10.
to make a nest for
11.
to place or settle in or as in a nest
12.
to fit (an object) closely within another
13. Computing
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
nestable (ˈnestable)
adjective
Word origin
ME < OE, akin to Ger nest < IE *nizdos (< base *ni-, down + *sed-, to sit) > L nidus, Welsh nythWord Frequency
nest in American English
(nest)
noun
1.
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
7.
the occupants or frequenters of such a place
transitive verb
8.
to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest
to nest dishes in straw
9.
to fit or place one within another
to nest boxes for more compact storage
intransitive verb
10.
to build or have a nest
The swallows nested under the eaves
11.
to settle in or as if in a nest
12.
to fit together or within another or one another
bowls that nest easily for storage
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
nestable adjective
nester
noun
nestlike
adjective
nesty
adjective
Examples of 'nest' in a sentence
nest
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nest
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In other languages
nest
British English: nest
/nɛst/ NOUN
A nest is a place that birds, insects, and other animals make to lay eggs in or give birth to their young in.
- American English: nest /ˈnɛst/
- Arabic: عُشٌ
- Brazilian Portuguese: ninho
- Chinese: 巢
- Croatian: gnijezdo
- Czech: hnízdo
- Danish: rede
- Dutch: nest
- European Spanish: nido
- Finnish: pesä
- French: nid
- German: Nest
- Greek: φωλιά
- Italian: nido
- Japanese: 巣
- Korean: 둥지
- Norwegian: rede
- Polish: gniazdo
- European Portuguese: ninho
- Romanian: cuib
- Russian: гнездо
- Latin American Spanish: nido
- Swedish: bo
- Thai: รัง
- Turkish: yuva
- Ukrainian: гніздо
- Vietnamese: tổ chim
British English: nest
VERB /nɛst/
When a bird nests somewhere, it builds a nest and settles there to lay its eggs.
Some species may nest in close proximity to each other.
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nest
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Definition of nest from the Collins English Dictionary
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