noun
Uncommon
nesting
NEHS-tihng
Nesting (noun) means the process of a bird building or occupying a nest. Example: “Nesting season begins in early spring for most songbirds.”
noun
1
The process of a bird building or occupying a nest.
"Nesting season begins in early spring for most songbirds."
2
The arrangement of one thing placed or contained inside another, including in computer code.
"the nesting of Russian dolls"
"Deep nesting of loops can make code harder to read."
"The positioning of a control structure inside another control structure is called nesting e.g. nested-IF and nested-loop."
— Sara Shahzad, Cyclomatic complexity: The nesting problem (2013)
How to use nesting
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither birds settling into nests, or the general idea of things fitting or stacking inside one another.
Common pairings
nesting season
nesting instinct
nesting dolls
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Word forms
- Plural
- nestings
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
_____ season begins in early spring for most songbirds.
Etymology
From nest + the noun-forming suffix -ing.
Rhymes for nesting
testing
resting
investing
arresting
harvesting
suggesting
protesting
contesting
interesting
uninteresting
See all rhymes for nesting →
Frequently asked questions
What does “nesting” mean?
The word “nesting” means the process of a bird building or occupying a nest. In plain terms, either birds settling into nests, or the general idea of things fitting or stacking inside one another.
How do you pronounce “nesting”?
“Nesting” is pronounced NEHS-tihng (/ˈnɛstɪŋ/ in IPA).
How do you use “nesting” in a sentence?
Here is “nesting” used in a sentence: “Nesting season begins in early spring for most songbirds.”
What part of speech is “nesting”?
“Nesting” is a noun.
Is “nesting” a common word?
“Nesting” is an uncommon word in modern English.
How many meanings does “nesting” have?
“Nesting” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the process of a bird building or occupying a nest.
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