tunnel

[tuhn-l]

noun

1. an underground passage.

2. a passageway, as for trains or automobiles, through or under an obstruction, as a city, mountain, river, harbor, or the like.

3. an approximately horizontal gallery or corridor in a mine.

4. the burrow of an animal.

5. Dialect.,  a funnel.

verb (used with object)

tunneled, tunneling , tunnelled, tunnelling .

1. to construct a passageway through or under.

   to tunnel a mountain.

2. to make or excavate (a tunnel or underground passage).

   to tunnel a passage under a river.

3. to move or proceed by or as if by boring a tunnel.

   The river tunneled its way through the mountain.

4. to pierce or hollow out, as with tunnels.

verb (used without object)

tunneled, tunneling , tunnelled, tunnelling .

1. to make a tunnel or tunnels.

   to tunnel through the Alps.

tunnel

/ ˈtʌnəl /

noun

1. an underground passageway, esp one for trains or cars that passes under a mountain, river, or a congested urban area

2. any passage or channel through or under something

3. a dialect word for funnel

4. obsolete,  the flue of a chimney

verb

1. (tr) to make or force (a way) through or under (something)

   to tunnel a hole in the wall

   to tunnel the cliff

2. (intr; foll by through, under, etc) to make or force a way (through or under something)

   he tunnelled through the bracken

Other Word Forms

• tunneler noun
• tunnellike adjective
• subtunnel noun
• untunneled adjective
• untunnelled adjective
• tunneller noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tunnel¹

1400–50; late Middle English tonel (noun) < Middle French tonele, tonnelle funnel-shaped net, feminine of tonnel cask, diminutive of tonne tun; -elle

Word History and Origins

Origin of tunnel¹

C15: from Old French tonel cask, from tonne tun, from Medieval Latin tonna barrel, of Celtic origin

Idioms and Phrases

see light at the end of the tunnel.

Example Sentences

Hamas's armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, said the remains had been found earlier on Sunday "along the route of one of the tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip".

Read more on BBC

The future Hall of Famer wasn’t even on the roster, but he was watching from the tunnel as the final out was recorded.

Read more on Salon

There isn’t yet light at the end of the tunnel.

Read more on Barron's

The driver even offered tour-guide-style commentary en route, capping it off with a New York-themed song as we left the tunnel and entered the city.

Read more on Salon

“I just started thinking about it when the game ended,” said Kershaw, who elected to traverse the field to get back to the clubhouse after Wednesday’s game instead of the connected bullpen tunnel.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• channel 
• hole 
• mine 
• pit 
• shaft 
• subway 
• underpass