burrow

American  

[bur-oh, buhr-oh] / ˈbɜr oʊ, ˈbʌr oʊ /

noun

• burrows
  plural

1. 

   a hole or tunnel in the ground made by a rabbit, fox, or similar animal to live or hide in.

   Even in winter, chipmunks are active in their burrows and emerge on sunny days.

2. a place of retreat; shelter or refuge.

   His study is his burrow—we have to coax him out for every meal.

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verb (used without object)

• burrows,
  present (3rd person singular)
• burrowed,
  past participle,  past
• burrowing
  present participle

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

   This small bird can survive cold Arctic nights by burrowing into the snow.

2. to lodge in an underground hole or tunnel.

   Many rodents burrow over the winter.

3. to hide.

   My cat likes to burrow under the rug and surprise me by jumping out as I walk past.

   Fleeing fame, he burrowed in a small town to focus on his family for a decade or so.

4. to proceed by or as if by digging.

   Buried under sediment, the clams can burrow up to the surface from a depth of 16 inches.

   Stray dogs burrowed through the piles of trash looking for scraps.

5. to penetrate deeply into something so as to investigate, exploit, or influence it, etc..

   In her book on the brain, the writer burrows into the workings of an organ once deemed unknowable.

   These nasty computer viruses are adept at burrowing into your system.

verb (used with object)

• burrows,
  present (3rd person singular)
• burrowed,
  past participle,  past
• burrowing
  present participle

1. to dig holes or passages into (a hill, mountainside, etc.).

   When earthworms burrow the soil, they aerate it and help plant roots to penetrate deeper.

2. to hide or shelter in a safe, snug space.

   The abandoned pup had burrowed itself in the straw of the barn out of pure fear.

   She burrowed the runt piglet in her coat till she had completed her chores in the barn.

3. to make by or as if by digging.

   We burrowed our way through the crowd.

verb phrase

1. burrow in

   1. to penetrate or dig into or under something.

      The beetle’s larvae burrow in and feed on the living tissues just beneath the tree’s bark.

      All my historical research was spurred by this confidence that I could burrow in and find answers.

   2. to enter and become lodged or settled in a place.

      The enemy had taken over the town and burrowed in.

      He was just going to crash at my place for “a few days,” but he’s burrowed in.

   3. (of a political appointee) to be hired as a permanent civil servant when the administration that made the appointment leaves power.

      He was the appointed director of the agency, and later burrowed in as a manager.

burrow British  

/ 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

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verb

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

2. to move through by or as by digging

   to burrow through the forest

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

4. (intr) to delve deeply

   he burrowed into his pockets

5. to hide (oneself)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• burrower
  noun
• unburrowed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• burrows
  plural

Participles

• burrowing
  present
• burrowed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• burrow
  simple
• burrows
  simple
• have burrowed
  perfect
• has burrowed
  perfect
• am burrowing
  progressive
• are burrowing
  progressive
• is burrowing
  progressive
• have been burrowing
  perfect progressive
• has been burrowing
  perfect progressive

Past

• burrowed
  simple
• had burrowed
  perfect
• was burrowing
  progressive
• were burrowing
  progressive
• had been burrowing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will burrow
  simple
• will have burrowed
  perfect
• will be burrowing
  progressive
• will have been burrowing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of burrow

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English borow, earlier burh, of uncertain origin; perhaps from Old English gebeorg “refuge,” noun derivative of beorgan “to hide, protect, preserve” (compare late Middle English beri “burrow,” variant of earlier berg “refuge”); akin to Old English burgen “grave” (in the sense “place of protection for a body”); cf. bury

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Explanation

Rabbits live in a burrow or a set of tunnels under the earth. They make these tunnels by burrowing, or digging holes with their bodies. Just one letter separates burrow from borrow. To remember the difference, think of the 'u' in burrow as the 'u' for under. Burrows are always underground, and when you burrow under something, you are always going beneath it. Worms can burrow into apples, and on a cold day, you might decide that you'd rather stay in and burrow underneath your blankets.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

burrow burrows burrowed burrowing

After hatching, the larvae burrow into the tissue and begin feeding.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

This is an "active burrow", the conservationist said, explaining that the water voles have been "mushing" their droppings.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

In one, a female marmot known as “1” chases away a curious male named “G” as he pokes around her burrow, screeching as they go.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Diggers are already clearing parts of the OPP complex, shaking the ruins even as volunteers and families continue to burrow for the bodies of loved ones.

From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026

Someone drew a picture of the apartment building with the Hideout underneath it, looking like the tunnels prairie dogs burrow in.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

It burrows deep into the legal past in search of an artifact that will indisputably resolve a difficult issue—even though 21st-century English speakers can read our Constitution without difficulty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

During breeding season—roughly late April through most of August—they nest in underground burrows on offshore islands where mammalian predators such as mink, rats and foxes can’t get at them or their young.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

But wildlife experts are very familiar with the little penguins' burrows at Phillip Island and St Kilda, he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

"We're finding more and more burrows every time we come," said Trevelyn-Ashby.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The Honeycomb was as good as finished—though rabbits are not methodical and are never really certain when anything is finished—and the surrounding burrows and runs were taking shape.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

She burrowed deep in the recesses of the early Obama administration, welding together the voluminous Affordable Care Act.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

Some lived in trees, others burrowed underground like moles, and species such as Megacauda sungei were adapted to life in water.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

But as the months went on and they settled in, this canine version of “The Odd Couple” burrowed their way into my heart.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

For the sequel, Disney marketers relied heavily on details from the 2006 original that have burrowed their way into the zeitgeist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026

I remember Vonetta snoring on one side of me, Fern with Miss Patty Cake burrowed into my side.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Granted, the bar for Netflix movies has long since descended past Hell’s ninth circle, burrowing so low that it’s carved out a 10th reserved for the streamer’s original titles.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

Construction appears ongoing at the site, which includes tunnels burrowing into the granite mountain from the east and west.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The club's nickname 'Los Tuzos', translates to 'the gophers', referring to a burrowing rodent found in North and Central America and serving as a nod to their mining heritage.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

He is used to it and protects himself by burrowing deeper into his daily routine.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026

Silverfish tunneled through the pages, burrowing arbitrarily from species to species, turning organized information into yellow lace.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

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