nestle

1 of 2

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

nestler

2 of 2

noun

nes·​tler -s(ə)lə(r) 

plural -s

: one that nestles : nestling

Synonyms of nestle

Verb

• snuggle
• cuddle
• nuzzle

Examples of nestle in a Sentence

Verb

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

Verb

For this humble fishing village in Yemen, a tumbledown grouping of barely-there huts nestled between the water and an imposing mountain range, stands sentinel over one of the world’s most vital waterways. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026

Lojo and a colleague combed through some corridors, looking for clients who might have nestled in remote areas. — Anand Giridharadas, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026

The dream was literally quite visible from his family’s restaurant, as it was nestled right under BlackRock’s former headquarters on the same East 52nd Street block. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026

Florjancic had the slightly worse lie, with his ball nestled no more than an inch into the left rough. — Harris Horowitz, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English nestlian, from nest

First Known Use

Verb

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