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 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.

verb (used without object)
  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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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)
  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.

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

Verb Phrases
  1. burrow in,

    • 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.

    • 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.

    • (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.

Origin of burrow

1
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

Other words from burrow

  • bur·row·er, noun
  • un·bur·rowed, adjective

Words that may be confused with burrow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use burrow in a sentence

  • He has burrowed so deeply into his work that he hasn't even bothered to get a tan—much to New York's chagrin.

  • Although none of these issues are burrowed into, they scroll by in manner that is commodious and vivid.

    Great Weekend Reads: 4 New Novels, November 13, 2011 | Susan Salter Reynolds, Christopher Byrd, John Wilwol, Jennifer Miller | November 13, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • And after thanking Mr. Blackbird for his advice, he turned away and burrowed out of sight.

    The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • Finding plenty of miners among the Cornishmen of the 32d, he sunk a countermine for each mine burrowed by the enemy.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • Epictetus and Luella and Gladys and Gaynor had all burrowed out of sight into the ground.

    The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
  • And then again he remembered his manifold calamities, and burrowed and wallowed in the sense of his disgrace and shame.

    Tales and Fantasies | Robert Louis Stevenson
  • Trusting to luck, Dalgard burrowed into the green mass, slashing with his knife at anything which denied him entrance.

    Star Born | Andre Norton

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