burrow

[ bur-oh, buhr-oh ]
See synonyms for: burrowburrowing on Thesaurus.com

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

  2. a place of retreat; shelter or refuge.

verb (used without object)
  1. to make a hole or passage in, into, or under something.

  2. to lodge in a burrow.

  1. to hide.

  2. to proceed by or as if by digging.

verb (used with object)
  1. to put a burrow into (a hill, mountainside, etc.).

  2. to hide (oneself), as in a burrow.

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

Origin of burrow

1
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, noun
  • un·bur·rowed, adjective

Words that may be confused with burrow

Words Nearby burrow

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

How to use burrow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for burrow

burrow

/ (ˈbʌrəʊ) /


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

  2. a small snug place affording shelter or retreat

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

  2. (intr often foll by through) to move through by or as by digging: to burrow through the forest

  1. (intr) to hide or live in a burrow

  2. (intr) to delve deeply: he burrowed into his pockets

  3. to hide (oneself)

Origin of burrow

1
C13: probably a variant of borough

Derived forms of burrow

  • burrower, noun

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