nestle

verb

nes·​tle ˈne-səl 

nestled; nestling ˈne-s(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

archaic : nest sense 1

2

: to settle snugly or comfortably

3

: to lie in an inconspicuous or sheltered manner

transitive verb

1

: to settle, shelter, or house in or as if in a nest

… the children were nestled all snug in their beds …

—Clement Moore

2

: to press closely and affectionately

nestles a kitten in her arms

nestler

ˈne-s(ə-)lər 

noun

Synonyms of nestle

• snuggle
• cuddle
• nuzzle

Examples of nestle in a Sentence

He nestled his head against his mother's shoulder.

She carefully nestled the hamster into its cage.

The fly ball nestled into the outfielder's glove.

Recent Examples on the Web

Known as 40 Duke, the locale is nestled in the upper floors of its historic flagship—with only those at the tippy top of Selfridges’s loyalty program gaining full access. —Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2026

In the photo, Hat Rack is seen nestled within the weblike Sculpture for Traveling (1918), a net of rubber shower caps cut up and glued together that Duchamp took on a trip to Buenos Aires. —Howard Halle, ARTnews.com, 10 Apr. 2026

And don’t sleep on the deep soaking tub in the bathroom nestled right up against a huge floor-to-ceiling window. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2026

Clavius can be recognized by dint of an arcing line of impact craters nestled within its 143-mile (230 km) expanse, along with the Porter and Rutherford impact sites, which overlap part of its northeastern and southeastern rim. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English nestlian, from nest

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for nestle

• cresol
• decile
• pestle
• sessile
• trestle
• vessel
• wessel
• wrestle
• subsessile

Kids Definition

nestle

verb

nes·​tle ˈnes-əl 

nestled; nestling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to lie close and snug : cuddle

2

: to settle as if in a nest

nestler

-(ə-)lər 

noun