to take or obtain with the promise to return the same or an equivalent.
Our neighbor borrowed my lawn mower.
to use, appropriate, or introduce from another source or from a foreign source.
to borrow an idea from the opposition;
to borrow a word from French.
Arithmetic. (in subtraction) to take from one denomination and add to the next lower.
to borrow something.
Don't borrow unless you intend to repay.
Nautical.
to sail close to the wind; luff.
to sail close to the shore.
Golf. to putt on other than a direct line from the lie of the ball to the hole, to compensate for the incline or roll of the green.
to obtain or receive (something, such as money) on loan for temporary use, intending to give it, or something equivalent or identical, back to the lender
to adopt (ideas, words, etc) from another source; appropriate
not_standard to lend
golf to putt the ball uphill of the direct path to the hole
(intr) golf (of a ball) to deviate from a straight path because of the slope of the ground
golf a deviation of a ball from a straight path because of the slope of the ground
a left borrow
material dug from a borrow pit to provide fill at another
living an unexpected extension of life
close to death
The use of off after borrow was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable in informal contexts
First recorded before 900; Middle English borowen, Old English borgian “to borrow, lend,” verb derivative of borg “a pledge”; cognate with Dutch borg “a pledge,” borgen “to charge, give credit,” German Borg “credit,” borgen “to take on credit”
The word borrow means to take something and use it temporarily. You can borrow a book from the library, or borrow twenty bucks from your mom, or even borrow an idea from your friend. Usually , borrow implies taking something temporarily and returning it later. However, you can borrow non-physical things and adopt them as your own. For example, the English language has borrowed many words from other languages — such as Latin and Greek — but those words were never "given back." If you're subtracting numbers, you might have to borrow from the tens column to complete the problem.
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Higher transaction volumes for the Square payment system and Cash App Borrow lending service helped the company beat Wall Street’s expectations.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
The Geffens launched the company later that year, with a model used by other companies like Bag Borrow or Steal and By Rotation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
In August, Olio will branch out with a new feature called Borrow, where users will be able to lend people items under a certain value, such as tools.
From BBC • Aug. 9, 2021
Borrow from friends, Yoon says, and don’t be afraid to ask guests to bring their own festive plate or cup.
From Washington Post • Jun. 29, 2021
“Is that what you did? Borrow money from the women’s bank?”
From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
