nest
[noun]
Synonyms: refuge, den, haunt, hideaway, retreat

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. nest¹ /nest/ noun [countable]
[Language: Old English]

1. BIRDS a place made or chosen by a bird to lay its eggs in and to live in:
a bird’s nest
In May the females build a nest and lay their eggs.
Young eagles leave the nest after only two months.

2. INSECTS/ANIMALS a place where insects or small animals live:
a field mouse’s nest

3. leave/fly the nest to leave your parents’ home and start living somewhere else when you are an adult:
Both daughters were ready to fly the nest.

4. nest of spies/thieves/intrigue etc a place where people are secretly doing a lot of illegal or dishonest things

5. nest of tables/boxes etc a set of tables etc that fit inside each other
⇒ feather your nest at feather²(1), ⇒ mare’s nest at mare(2), ⇒ love nest

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. nest² verb

1. [intransitive] to build or use a nest:
They say eagles used to nest in those rocks.

2. [transitive] to organize information, especially in a computer program, so that some of the information is recognized as separate but is included or contained in a larger part of the information:
Phrases are nested in the dictionary entry for the first major word.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

nest
noun
ADJ. ant's, bird's, wasp's, etc.
VERB + NEST build, make | sit on The male and female take turns to sit on the nest.
fly, leave The young ones have flown the nest.
NEST + NOUN site The male uses song to attract a female to his nest site.
hole
PREP. away from a/the ~ A rat took the egg while the mother was away from the nest.
in/inside a/the ~ The snake will attack if disturbed inside its nest.
on a/the ~ The female spends all her time on the nest.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

nest

build/make a nest
Swallows build their nests out of mud.
leave the nest
Barn owls leave the nest at two to three months.
a bird's/eagle's/crow's etc nest
an abandoned bird's nest
a wasps'/hornets' nest
a wasps' nest in the attic
an ants' nest
a red ants' nest

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

nest
nest
See: feather one's nest , stir up a hornet's nest

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲