26984 words

nest

8 definitions • 14 examples
1
a structure built by birds or insects to leave their eggs in to develop, and by some other animals to give birth or live in:

Examples:

a bird's nest
a wasps'/hornets' nest
a rat's nest
Cuckoos are famous for laying their eggs in the nests of other birds.
The alligators build their nests out of grass near the water's edge.
2
a comfortable home:

Examples:

One day the children grow up and leave the nest.
3
a place where something unpleasant or unwanted has developed:

Examples:

The diplomats have been sent home because their embassy has become a nest of spies.
4
a set of things that are similar but different in size and have been designed to fit inside each other:

Examples:

I'd like a nest of tables for the living room.
5
to build a nest, or live in a nest:

Examples:

We've got some swallows nesting in our roof at the moment.
6
to fit one object inside another, or to fit inside in this way:

Examples:

nested coffee tables
dolls that nest inside one another
7
to put a piece of information, text, etc. inside another, or at a lower level in a system:

Examples:

Each document has a root element and all elements must be nested within other elements.
8
a structure or other place where creatures, esp. birds, give birth or leave their eggs to develop

Navigation