Nesting selector

& in nested CSS: stands for the parent selector.

What does & mean in nested CSS?

The nesting selector & stands for the parent rule's selector, used to attach states like :hover or modifier classes.

.button {
  background: navy;
  &.danger { background: firebrick; }   /* .button.danger */
}

Level: Freelancer · More CSS terms at this level

Updated September 27, 2026