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nest

nest

75 2.5
A small quiet place where someone can rest alone
  • noun
  • /nɛst/
: nido
  • After a long day, she loved to relax in her cozy nest with a good book.
  • empty nest
  • leave the nest
  • empty nest syndrome

I have prepared another nest for you too.

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Examples

  • There comes a time when student teachers have to leave the nest and learn on their own.

    Academic text (2006)
  • We were just saying your nest is just so charming.

  • Perfect little love nest for the perfect little couple.

  • A love nest is what we need.

  • Perfect spot for a nest.

  • I took a cab to our love nest, and from there we walked.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Let's call them and invite them over here to our little love nest.

  • After dinner, I retired to my nest and worked on my journal awhile.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • That pink bungalow is called the "Lover's Nest."

  • She didn't mind if I got a bird's-eye view of her love nest

Synonyms

lodge
vsnest
146 3.4

A small house near nature where travelers stay temporarily

is a more intimate personal retreat used for resting or privacy
sanctuary
vsnest
142 4.1

A safe place where people go to escape danger

focuses on comfort and privacy rather than protection from danger
hut
vsnest
136 1.0

A small simple building where people live or stay

is chosen for comfort and privacy rather than basic shelter needs
haven
vsnest
124 3.9

A safe place where people or animals are protected from danger

is less about safety from danger and more about cosy privacy for rest
retreat
vsnest
95 4.2

A quiet place where you can relax alone

is more domestic and emphasises cosy privacy rather than formal seclusion
nook
vsnest
40 3.0

A small sheltered corner where you can sit or read

is a larger cosy secluded place for rest or privacy
hideaway
vsnest
24 5.1

A private place where someone goes to be alone

is similar but focuses on warmth and comfort rather than secrecy
20 2.9

A place where you feel as comfortable and relaxed as in your own house

is more of a small secluded retreat rather than a lived residence
love nest
vsnest
14 4.2

A small private place where two people in love spend romantic time together

is broader and used for general rest and privacy, not only romance
habitation
vsnest
9 5.1

A place where a person or animal lives

is specifically a cosy secluded spot for resting or seeking privacy
roost
vsnest
9 3.3

A place where birds rest or sleep

is a human cosy secluded retreat used for rest and privacy
cozy home
vsnest
  • US
2 2.1

A warm comfortable place where you feel safe and relaxed

is more secluded and tucked away rather than a general cosy dwelling
hutch
vsnest
  • UK
1 6.8

A small, simple shelter where people live, often temporary

is a deliberately cosy secluded place, not an improvised shelter
rest house
vsnest
  • Archaic
1 4.6

A building where travelers can sleep and rest

is a private cosy retreat rather than a practical traveler shelter
1 8.4

A quiet place where someone can be alone to think

is more homely and cosy, not merely isolation for reflection

Antonyms

301 3.5

Being in contact with something that can affect you

An open area in a town or city where people meet and events happen

Idioms

8.3

Use a job or position to get money for yourself in a dishonest way

To cause a lot of trouble and anger among people

Compounds

23 3.4

Money saved for the future, for example for retirement or emergencies

hornet's nest
  • Informal
15 7.2

A situation that causes much trouble and angry reactions

14 4.2

A small private place where two people in love spend romantic time together

6 9.9

An insulting name for a mental hospital

5 1.0

A place where a bird lays eggs and takes care of its baby birds

rat's nest
  • Informal
4 6.8

A very messy place with many things mixed together

3 3.7

A home made from chewed wood that wasps build to hold many insects

hornets' nest
  • Informal
3 6.7

A situation that causes trouble, danger, or strong disagreement

2 6.1

A small platform near the top of a ship's mast where a lookout stands

2 1.0

A small home a bird builds to lay eggs and raise its young

A nest made of paper-like material by wasps where they live

nest egg
  • Archaic
1 7.5

A fake egg placed in a chicken coop to make hens lay in one spot

A home built by hornets or wasps where they raise their young

mare's nest
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A confusing, chaotic situation with many mixed-up parts

1 3.4

A small home mice build to keep and raise their babies

magpie's nest
  • Informal
1 8.5

A messy collection of many different small things

bird's nest fern
  • Specialized
1 8.8

A tropical fern with long curved leaves that form a round nest in tree forks

bird's-nest fungus
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small cup-shaped fungus that looks like a tiny nest of eggs

9.9

A fern that climbs trees and has broad leaves that look like a bird's nest

A place a mouse makes to live and raise its babies

hurrah's nest
  • Informal
9.9

A noisy joyful party with people cheering and running around

9.9

A hidden group of people who stay inactive until they get orders to do illegal or violent acts

A structure made by wasps or hornets where they live and raise young

How Cozy

sanctuary
142 4.1
haven
124 3.9
retreat
95 4.2
nest
75 2.5
nook
40 3.0
spot
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

nest singular
nests plural

Etymology

The word nest also came to mean a small, cosy place because a bird's nest is warm and safe, so we call a quiet, private room someone's 'nest' as a friendly image.