den

[ den ]

/ dɛn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR den ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the lair or shelter of a wild animal, especially a predatory mammal.

a room, often secluded, in a house or apartment, designed to provide a quiet, comfortable, and informal atmosphere for conversation, reading, writing, etc.

a cave used as a place of shelter or concealment.

a squalid or vile abode or place: dens of misery.

one of the units of a cub scout pack, analogous to a patrol in the Boy Scouts.

verb (used with object), denned, den·ning.

to drive or pursue (an animal) into its den.

to kill (an animal) inside its den.

verb (used without object), denned, den·ning.

to live in or as if in a den.

Nearby words

demyelinate, demyelinating disease, demyelination, demystify, demythologize, den, den bosch, den chief, den father, den haag, den helder

Origin of den

before 1000; Middle English; Old English denn; compare early Dutch denne floor, cave, den, German Tenne floor

Definition for den (2 of 2)

Den.

Denmark.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for den

It is unknown whether John Doe is David Neuman, who was once an executive at DEN.
New Hollywood Sex Scandal: Bryan Singer’s Accuser Files Another Suit|Tim Teeman|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When she got up at two the next afternoon, Jerry Lee was still up, drinking in his den.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis|Richard Ben Cramer|January 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Perryman walked into the den, the Killer was sitting with his feet up in his favorite recliner chair.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis|Richard Ben Cramer|January 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Residents of South Carolina divorce at a rate twice as high as for that den of iniquity, Washington, D.C.
Marianne Gingrich Interview Casts Doubts on Newt’s New Image|Margaret Carlson|January 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST

At just past noon, The Roots emerge from their den and strut into the Fallon studio.
A Day in the Life of The Roots' Questlove|Marlow Stern|December 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
When I was free I tore a black-maned lion to pieces for prowling round our den.
Acrobats and Mountebanks|Hugues Le Roux
Dey searched de house, and take out what dey want, den set de house afire.
Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 2|Works Projects Administration
The priests had dragged this young boy into their den, and taught him to play the spy on his father and mother.
Pilgrimage from the Alps to the Tiber|James Aitken Wylie
“The Den needs a bookcase,” Mr. Hatfield reminded the pair as they admired their ‘find’.
Dan Carter and the River Camp|Mildred A. Wirt
The smell of the soil sweetened musty law books, deodorized the doctor's den, and floated as incense above the church altars.
Chapters in Rural Progress|Kenyon L. Butterfield

British Dictionary definitions for den (1 of 2)

den

/ (dɛn) /

noun

the habitat or retreat of a lion or similar wild animal; lair

a small or secluded room in a home, often used for carrying on a hobby

a squalid or wretched room or retreat

a site or haunta den of vice

Scot a small wooded valley; dingle

Scot and Northern English dialect a place of sanctuary in certain catching games; home or base

verb dens, denning or denned

(intr) to live in or as if in a den

Word Origin for den

Old English denn; related to Old High German tenni threshing floor, early Dutch denne low ground, den, cave

British Dictionary definitions for den (2 of 2)

Den.

abbreviation for

Denmark

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

Word Origin and History for den

den

Old English denn "wild animal's lair," from Proto-Germanic *danjan (cf. Middle Low German denne "lowland, wooded vale, den," Old English denu "valley," Old Frisian dene "down," Old High German tenni, German tenne "threshing floor," from PIE *dan- "low ground"). Sense of "small room" is 1771, originally colloquial.

den

noun

verb (used with object), denned, den·ning.

verb (used without object), denned, den·ning.

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Nearby words

Origin of den

Definition for den (2 of 2)

Den.

Examples from the Web for den

British Dictionary definitions for den (1 of 2)

den

noun

verb dens, denning or denned

Word Origin for den

British Dictionary definitions for den (2 of 2)

Den.

abbreviation for

Word Origin and History for den

den