nestnesting Japanese figuresnest (n?st)n.1. a. A structure or shelter made or used by a bird to hold its eggs during incubation and to house its young until fledged.b. A structure or shelter in which other animals, such as reptiles, fish, or insects, deposit their eggs or tend their young.c. A structure or complex built by ants, termites, or other social animals to house a colony.d. A number of insects, birds, or other animals occupying a nest: attacked by a nest of hornets.2. A place affording snug refuge or lodging; a home.3. a. A place or environment that fosters rapid growth or development, especially of something undesirable; a hotbed: a nest of criminal activity.b. Those who occupy or frequent such a place or environment.4. a. A set of objects of graduated size that can be stacked together, each fitting within the one immediately larger: a nest of tables.b. A cluster of similar things.5. A group of weapons in a prepared position: a machine-gun nest.v. nest·ed, nest·ing, nests v.intr.1. To build or occupy a nest.2. To create and settle into a warm and secure refuge.3. To hunt for birds’ nests, especially in order to collect the eggs.4. To fit one inside another.v.tr.1. To place in or as if in a nest.2. To put snugly together or inside one another: to nest boxes.[Middle English, from Old English; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.nest (n?st) n1. (Zoology) a place or structure in which birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, mice, etc, lay eggs or give birth to young2. (Zoology) a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitat: an ants’ nest. 3. a place fostering something undesirable: a nest of thievery. 4. the people in such a place: a nest of thieves. 5. a cosy or secluded place6. a set of things, usually of graduated sizes, designed to fit together: a nest of tables. 7. (Military) military a weapon emplacement: a machine-gun nest. vb8. (intr) to make or inhabit a nest9. (intr) to hunt for birds’ nests10. (tr) to place in a nest[Old English; related to Latin n?dus (nest) and to beneath, sit] ?nester n ?nest?like adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014nest (n?st) n. 1. a bowl-shaped or pocketlike structure, often of twigs, grasses, and mud, prepared by a bird for incubating eggs and rearing young. 2. any structure or shelter used for depositing eggs or raising 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. 6. a set of items, often of graduated size, that fit close together or one within another: a nest of tables. 7. a set of items or parts forming a hierarchical structure, with larger parts enclosing smaller ones. 8. a place where something bad is fostered or flourishes: a nest of thieves. 9. the occupants or frequenters of such a place. v.i. 10. to build or have a nest: to nest in trees. 11. to settle in or as if in a nest. 12. to fit together or one within another: bowls that nest easily for storage. 13. to search for or collect nests. v.t. 14. to settle or place (something) in or as if in a nest. 15. to fit or place one within another. [before 900; Middle English, Old English; c. Old Saxon, Dutch, Old High German, German nest; akin to Latin n?dus, Old Irish net, Welsh nyth nest, Skt n??a lair] nest?er, n. nest?like`, adj. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.nest – From Indo-European nizdos, literally “(place where the bird) sits down.”See also related terms for sits.Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.Nest a number or collection of people; a number of birds or insects gathered in the same place; an accumulation of similar objects; a number of buildings or streets; a set of objects. See also aerie, bike, brood, swarm.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.nestPast participle: nestedGerund: nestingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativenestnestPresentI nestyou nesthe/she/it nestswe nestyou nestthey nestPreteriteI nestedyou nestedhe/she/it nestedwe nestedyou nestedthey nestedPresent ContinuousI am nestingyou are nestinghe/she/it is nestingwe are nestingyou are nestingthey are nestingPresent PerfectI have nestedyou have nestedhe/she/it has nestedwe have nestedyou have nestedthey have nestedPast ContinuousI was nestingyou were nestinghe/she/it was nestingwe were nestingyou were nestingthey were nestingPast PerfectI had nestedyou had nestedhe/she/it had nestedwe had nestedyou had nestedthey had nestedFutureI will nestyou will nesthe/she/it will nestwe will nestyou will nestthey will nestFuture PerfectI will have nestedyou will have nestedhe/she/it will have nestedwe will have nestedyou will have nestedthey will have nestedFuture ContinuousI will be nestingyou will be nestinghe/she/it will be nestingwe will be nestingyou will be nestingthey will be nestingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been nestingyou have been nestinghe/she/it has been nestingwe have been nestingyou have been nestingthey have been nestingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been nestingyou will have been nestinghe/she/it will have been nestingwe will have been nestingyou will have been nestingthey will have been nestingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been nestingyou had been nestinghe/she/it had been nestingwe had been nestingyou had been nestingthey had been nestingConditionalI would nestyou would nesthe/she/it would nestwe would nestyou would nestthey would nestPast ConditionalI would have nestedyou would have nestedhe/she/it would have nestedwe would have nestedyou would have nestedthey would have nestedCollins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011