nests

noun

plural of nest
1
as in centers
a place or environment that favors the development of something suspected that the elite private universities were a nest of antigovernment sentiments

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in hideouts
a place where a person goes to hide or to avoid others headed back to her cozy nest in the mountains for a little rest and relaxation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nests Each spring, before the tractors roll in, Lundberg teams up with the California Waterfowl Association to search the cover crops for nests and collect any eggs by hand. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 Birds are conspicuous then – singing, defending territories, building nests and raising young. — Amy L. Scarpignato, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026 As a result, seabird populations declined, particularly birds that build their nests on the ground. — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026 Loggerhead sea turtles laid 4,174 nests on Georgia’s beaches, the most in decades. — Brady Dennis, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2026 In 2004, the sea turtle population was in crisis, with a low of 358 nests. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 11 Oct. 2026 This undated photo shows chinstrap penguins returning to nests in South Sandwich Islands, Zavodovski Island, Antarctica. — CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Mice used to nest in the tool drawers, leaving droppings and urine stains…After three months, no nests, no stains, and the tools are pristine. — Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2026 From gathering nuts and seeds to building sheltered nests, squirrels ramp up their activity in the fall—and your garden can quickly become an appealing source of food and shelter. — The Spruce, 4 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nests
  1. centers
  2. hideouts
  3. nurseries
  4. lairs
  5. hotbeds
  6. bases
  7. seminaries
  8. breeding grounds
Noun
  • The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its forces carried out drone strikes on logistics centers, port infrastructure and three cargo ships in the port of Reni in the Odesa region.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Paired with on-site energy storage, SSTs could turn data centers from blunt-force loads into more flexible participants in the grid.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of centers
Noun
  • The strikes targeted militant hideouts at two locations, with initial reports indicating 22 militants had been killed, Pakistan's Ministry of Information said.
    — MUNIR AHMED, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The conflicting statements came just days after Pakistani fighter jets struck sites in eastern Afghanistan that Islamabad said were militant hideouts, an escalation between Kabul and Islamabad that threatens mediation efforts by regional powers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of hideouts
Noun
  • Other garden bits Fall plant sales abound Now is the perfect time to procure new plants, as gardens and nurseries across Southern California are hosting plant sales over the coming weeks.
    — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Orange County’s agricultural heritage such as small farms, nurseries, and family growers disappears as development accelerates.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of nurseries
Noun
  • Some large bulls may retreat to lairs and hang out by themselves, remaining there as long as there is adequate food and water.
    — Jim Zumbo, Outdoor Life, 10 Sep. 2026
  • These involve raiding the lairs of hoodlum rivals, then singlehandedly dissuading them from competition.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Definition of lairs
Noun
  • That’s quite a claim from a man who oversees one of the world’s most prolific hotbeds of anti-vaccine conspiracism.
    — Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2026
  • However, Canada’s success at the World Cup could lead to even more interest in soccer in traditional hockey hotbeds.
    — Shelby Blackley, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of hotbeds
Noun
  • Spotify had guided to slower MAU growth in the third quarter, pointing to changes to products in emerging countries to help the company better monetize its user bases.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The technology could have important applications in space exploration, including providing electricity for future Moon bases, scientific instruments and long-duration space missions.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of bases
Noun
  • Amir Levy/Getty Rather than serve in the military, most ultra-Orthodox men study full-time in religious seminaries.
    — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The earnings test applies to thousands of programs at schools ranging from professional certificates to arts programs at elite universities and seminaries.
    — Ira Porter, Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of seminaries
Noun
  • These incidents have many travelers asking if cruises are breeding grounds for illnesses and germs?
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 11 May 2026
  • Apocalypse movies are breeding grounds for unlikely posses, and this Australian zom-com from writer-director Abe Forsythe is no exception.
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Definition of breeding grounds

Browse Nearby Words

nestors
nests
net
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Cite this Entry

“Nests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nests. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

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