burrow

[ bur-oh, buhr-oh ]

/ ˈbɜr oʊ, ˈbʌr oʊ /

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See synonyms for: burrow / burrowing on Thesaurus.com

noun

a hole or tunnel in the ground made by a rabbit, fox, or similar animal for habitation and refuge.

a place of retreat; shelter or refuge.

verb (used without object)

to make a hole or passage in, into, or under something.

to lodge in a burrow.

to hide.

to proceed by or as if by digging.

verb (used with object)

to put a burrow into (a hill, mountainside, etc.).

to hide (oneself), as in a burrow.

to make by or as if by burrowing: We burrowed our way through the crowd.

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Origin of burrow

1325–75; Middle English borow, earlier burh, apparently gradational variant of late Middle English beri burrow, variant of earlier berg refuge, Old English gebeorg, derivative of beorgan to protect; akin to Old English burgen grave, i.e., place of protection for a body; see bury

OTHER WORDS FROM burrow

bur·row·er, nounun·bur·rowed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH burrow

borough, burro, burrow

Words nearby burrow

Burrillville, burrito, burro, burro's tail, Burroughs, burrow, burrowing blenny, burrowing owl, burrstone, burry, bursa

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use burrow in a sentence

This subterranean menagerie is capitalizing on an old burrow, gouged into the earth by a massive lizard.
Monitor lizards’ huge burrow systems can shelter hundreds of small animals|Jake Buehler|January 19, 2021|Science News
Tubenoses can locate their nest burrows by scent and are even able to detect a whiff of plankton while on the wing.
Here’s the real story behind Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’|Tom McNamara|December 3, 2020|Popular-Science
If a burrow is already occupied and is close to the ideal size, or a bit smaller, the mantis shrimp will fight longer and harder for that burrow—and be more likely to win the contest.
There’s no place like the perfectly sized home for the mighty mantis shrimp|Jennifer Ouellette|October 29, 2020|Ars Technica
“The burrow is a massively valuable resource because it is so costly — in terms of energy — to excavate and build,” says Faulkes, of Queen Mary University of London.
Naked mole-rats invade neighboring colonies and steal babies|Jake Buehler|October 20, 2020|Science News

Trace fossils also include preserved tracks, burrows and feces.
Fossil stomach reveals a dinosaur’s last meal|Carolyn Wilke|July 7, 2020|Science News For Students
If opened, the RAT will burrow into the host computer and give control of the machine to the hacker.
15-Year-Old Egyptian Cyber Activist Takes on Israel|Eli Lake|November 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
You start with pain, burrow into dirt, get to memory, and end with motive.
Who Is Philip Roth’s Portnoy Satirizing?|Bernard Avishai|August 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This is not a bug that can get on the surface and burrow in.
Necrotizing Fasciitis: How ‘Flesh-Eating Bacteria’ Strike|Casey Schwartz|May 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I found a deep, secure burrow within the rubble of Georgetown's fallen Komptar tower.
The Extinction Parade: An Original Zombie Story by Max Brooks|Max Brooks|January 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
We remained secluded in our ramshackle burrow for seven nights, Laila recuperating slowly while I foraged after dark for blood.
The Extinction Parade: An Original Zombie Story by Max Brooks|Max Brooks|January 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Up jumped Nquing from his burrow in the spinifex and shouted, "Go away!"
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
Henry laid his brother down and stretched his aching arms, while Jess began to burrow into the haystack.
The Box-Car Children|Gertrude Chandler Warner
Rats burrow along a drain pipe from the sewer into the house and admit sewer gas.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
She dropped on her knees and examined the toads carefully, while they tried to burrow into the soil backward, to escape the sun.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
They all looked downward and found a sky-blue rabbit had stuck his head out of a burrow in the ground.
The Tin Woodman of Oz|L. Frank Baum

British Dictionary definitions for burrow

burrow

/ (ˈbʌrəʊ) /

noun

a hole or tunnel dug in the ground by a rabbit, fox, or other small animal, for habitation or shelter

a small snug place affording shelter or retreat

verb

to dig (a burrow) in, through, or under (ground)

(intr often foll by through) to move through by or as by diggingto burrow through the forest

(intr) to hide or live in a burrow

(intr) to delve deeplyhe burrowed into his pockets

to hide (oneself)

Derived forms of burrow

burrower, noun

Word Origin for burrow

C13: probably a variant of borough

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

burrow

Origin of burrow

OTHER WORDS FROM burrow

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH burrow

Words nearby burrow

Words related to burrow

How to use burrow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for burrow

Derived forms of burrow

Word Origin for burrow