borrow

¹ American  

[bor-oh, bawr-oh] / ˈbɒr oʊ, ˈbɔr oʊ /

verb (used with object)

1. to take or obtain with the promise to return the same or an equivalent.

   Our neighbor borrowed my lawn mower.

2. 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.

   Synonyms:

   plagiarize, pirate, copy, get, take, acquire

3. Arithmetic. (in subtraction) to take from one denomination and add to the next lower.

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verb (used without object)

1. to borrow something.

   Don't borrow unless you intend to repay.

2. Nautical.

   1. to sail close to the wind; luff.

   2. to sail close to the shore.

3. 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.

idioms

1. borrow trouble, to do something that is unnecessary and may cause future harm or inconvenience.

Borrow ² American  

[bor-oh, bawr-oh] / ˈbɒr oʊ, ˈbɔr oʊ /

noun

1. George, 1803–81, English traveler, writer, and student of languages, especially Romani.

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borrow ¹ British  

/ ˈbɒrəʊ /

verb

1. 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

2. to adopt (ideas, words, etc) from another source; appropriate

3. not_standard to lend

4. golf to putt the ball uphill of the direct path to the hole

5. (intr) golf (of a ball) to deviate from a straight path because of the slope of the ground

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noun

1. golf a deviation of a ball from a straight path because of the slope of the ground

   a left borrow

2. material dug from a borrow pit to provide fill at another

3. 1. living an unexpected extension of life

   2. close to death

Borrow ² British  

/ ˈbɒrəʊ /

noun

1. George ( Henry ). 1803–81, English traveller and writer. His best-known works are the semiautobiographical novels of Gypsy life and language, Lavengro (1851) and its sequel The Romany Rye (1857)

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borrow More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing borrow

• beg, borrow, or steal
• on borrowed time

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Usage

The use of off after borrow was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable in informal contexts

Other Word Forms

• Borrovian adjective
• borrowable adjective
• borrower noun
• nonborrowed adjective
• nonborrower noun
• overborrow verb
• unborrowed adjective

Etymology

Origin of borrow

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”

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

“In West Dorset, we borrow from the landscape,” said author Jason Goodwin, who leads local garden tours.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Consumers worried about losing their jobs will borrow and spend less.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

The delayed draw term loan facility allows CoreWeave to borrow up to around $7.5 billion at first, with an additional $1 billion available as underlying assets reach stabilization.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Parents taking out loans to pay for their kids’ school will be able to borrow a maximum of $20,000 a year per child and $65,000 total per child.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

“When we get back to the FARM,” Kat said, “you can come into my room and borrow any items of mine that you want.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Related Words

• acquire
• adopt
• assume
• copy
• obtain
• steal
• use