nestle

1 of 2

verb

nes·​tle ˈne-səl How to pronounce nestle (audio)
nestled; nestling ˈne-s(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce nestle (audio)
Synonyms of nestlenext

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 How to pronounce nestle (audio)
noun

nestler

2 of 2

noun

nes·​tler -s(ə)lə(r) How to pronounce nestler (audio)
plural -s
: one that nestles : nestling

Synonyms of nestle

Relevance

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
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.
Verb
That’s the official name of Lauren Halsey’s public sculptural park nestled at the corner of 76th and Western in South-Central. — Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Underneath the jet nestled underneath the brush head is a 100mm-pixel macro lens the size of a pencil tip that captures 28 images per second. — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 4 Sep. 2026 Tucked away near Lucille Ball’s former dressing room, nestled between soundstages on the Paramount lot is the office where John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein cook up many of their big-screen adventures. — Brent Lang, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026 For more than 300 years, people have settled around the soaring marble shrine of the Sufi saint known as Bari Imam, nestled at the foothills of the Himalayas. — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nestle

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of nestle was before the 12th century

Rhymes for nestle

See All Rhymes for nestle

Browse Nearby Words

nesting doll
nestle
nestler
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nestle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nestle. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

nestle

verb
nes·​tle ˈnes-əl How to pronounce nestle (audio)
nestled; nestling -(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce nestle (audio)
1
: to lie close and snug : cuddle
2
: to settle as if in a nest
nestler
-(ə-)lər How to pronounce nestle (audio)
noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All