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

• cuddle
• nuzzle
• snoozle [chiefly dialect]
• snuggle

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

Those facilities had been nestled for nearly a century next to trees more than 250 feet tall and more than 1,500 years old. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 June 2025

The amygdala, nestled in the temporal lobes of your brain, is charged with ensuring survival. —Sara Connell, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025

As the camera pans across the workspace, the dachshund is seen nestled comfortably on employees' laps, perched on desks, stretched out on the carpet, and demanding the kind of attention usually reserved for quarterly reports or looming deadlines. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025

Lynn now lives with his wife Natalie in Carlsbad, California, in the hills nestled between Los Angeles and San Diego. —Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025

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