Meaning of nest In English

• 0 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:

  • 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.

  • One day the children grow up and leave the nest.

  • The diplomats have been sent home because their embassy has become a nest of spies.

• 1 a set of things that are similar but different in size and have been designed to fit inside each other:

  • I'd like a nest of tables for the living room.

• 2 to build a nest, or live in a nest:

  • We've got some swallows nesting in our roof at the moment.

  • Farm buildings are ideal nesting sites for barn owls.

• 3 to fit one object inside another, or to fit inside in this way:

  • nested coffee tables

  • dolls that nest inside one another

  • Each document has a root element and all elements must be nested within other elements.

  • Text documents often comprise nested regions like lists within lists or procedures within procedures.

• 4 a structure or other place where creatures, esp. birds, give birth or leave their eggs to develop