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

My husband, Dave, still wears the shirt with his workplace nickname – The Spam King – printed in the iconic Spam lettering, nestled in the yellow goo from the can. —Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Dec. 2024

There was no mention of the refugees who had formed a thriving community in Long Beach, nestled along the city’s Anaheim corridor called Cambodia Town. —Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024

The cozy hotel, nestled on a quiet street in West Hollywood, served as a fitting setting. —Ryma Chikhoune, WWD, 6 Dec. 2024

But one had been nestled atop an Albuquerque, New Mexico, garage refrigerator for decades. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2024

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

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