EnglishMain Dictionary
nest
Universal Words
noun, verb
noun
1 [C] a hollow place or structure that a bird makes or chooses for laying its eggs and sheltering its young:
sparrows building a nest of twigs and dry grass
2 [C] a place where insects or other small creatures live and produce their young:
an ants' / wasps' nest * a nest of mice
3 [sing.] a secret place which is full of bad people and their activities:
a nest of thieves
4 [sing.] the home, thought of as the safe place where parents bring up their children:
to leave the nest (= leave your parents' home)
5 [C,usually sing.] a group or set of similar things that are made to fit inside each other:
a nest of tables
IDIOMS see EMPTYadj., FEATHERv., FLYv., HORNET, MARE
verb [V] to make and use a nest:
Thousands of seabirds are nesting on the cliffs.
