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

The biggest factor pushing up rates is the credibility of the borrowing plans set out by major countries.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Rising bond yields could usher in elevated interest rates, resulting in higher borrowing costs; this can draw capital away from equities and into bonds.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Also, rising rates increase companies’ borrowing costs, making it harder for them to fund operations and investment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

It was part of Sir Keir Starmer's strategy to try to take on boring reforms and offer markets stability in a bid to lower borrowing costs.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Since he’d come to New York, he’d been borrowing my assigned books from the public library.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

As of June 30, SpaceX had $93.5 billion in cash and cash equivalents, as well as $6.48 billion of short-term marketable securities and borrowings under credit facilities.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 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

Among the red flags that Di Mattia is tracking are the stock-market performances of companies whose borrowings are tied to AI hopes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

The drop followed an announcement that SpaceX would issue its first investment-grade dollar bonds to raise an unspecified amount for repaying outstanding borrowings under its bridge loan facility.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

They took turns reciting Homeric genealogies, full of falsifications and borrowings from real life, and sometimes they fought over this or that favorite real uncle or aunt, and had to bargain like casting directors.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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