borrowing

American

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

noun

the act of one who borrows.
the process by which something, as a word or custom, is adopted or absorbed.
the result of such a process; something borrowed, as a foreign word or phrase or a custom.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

borrowings

plural

Etymology

Origin of borrowing

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at borrow, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

borrowing borrowings

"This is not merely a matter of borrowing money; it is about shaping the very structure and direction of the nation's development."

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Indeed the Thai finance minister was boasting to me of how little his borrowing costs had gone up, especially in relation to the US.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

And beauty is relative, especially when it comes to borrowing.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Warsh spoke in Bangkok as global economic pain mounts from rising borrowing costs and higher energy prices due to the Iran war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

There, in July 1886, borrowing one of the most prominent family names of the time, Mudgett registered his name as Holmes.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Central government borrowings were only around 30% of GDP in recent years, small compared with federal debts in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Remarkably, these offers continue to exist even while interest rates rise across the rest of the economy on both borrowings and savings.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

The club's latest quarterly figures showed total borrowings of £1.29bn, including outstanding transfer fees.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

If that happens, he said, it could raise bills for electric customers since the utility may have to pay a higher interest rate for new borrowings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Scholars have long acknowledged such borrowings as moccasins, maize, and military tactics—the Indian-style guerrilla skirmishes with which the rebellious colonists bedeviled British soldiers.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023