nook

American  

[nook] / nʊk /

noun

1. a corner, as in a room.

2. any secluded or obscure corner.

3. any small recess.

   a breakfast nook.

4. any remote or sheltered spot.

   a shady nook that was ideal for a picnic.

---

nook British  

/ nʊk /

noun

1. a corner or narrow recess, as in a room

2. a secluded or sheltered place; retreat

---

Other Word Forms

• nooklike adjective

Etymology

Origin of nook

1250–1300; Middle English nok

Explanation

A nook is a cozy little corner or a small, safe area. A nook in the library can be a nice place to sit and read. If you have a "breakfast nook" in your kitchen, you know it's a space set back from the main room, maybe built into a corner or under a window, where you can sit at a small table. All nooks are small and sheltered in some way. You may have come across nook in the phrase "nook and cranny." This is often meant figuratively, as when you search every single nook and cranny in your whole house looking for your wallet.

Example Sentences

Moving into the kitchen, there are state-of-the-art appliances, white cabinetry, and a spacious breakfast nook.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

Koch, for instance, sleeps "suspended like a bat" while Glover fits himself into a narrow nook between space equipment and the ceiling of the spacecraft.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

During business hours, they were welcome to use the store’s water fountains, its bathrooms, its electricity, to read in the reading nook, or nod off, if need be.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Instead, look for a track in a nook above the seating area, where one can race wooden blocks affixed with wheels — think Pinewood Derby — down a track painted to mimic a waterway.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

Moss ran his fingers over them, feeling each nook, knowing them all by heart.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

Related Words

• alcove
• crevice
• den