den

¹

[den]

noun

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

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

3. a cave used as a place of shelter or concealment.

4. a squalid or vile abode or place.

   dens of misery.

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

verb (used with object)

denned, denning 

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

2. to kill (an animal) inside its den.

verb (used without object)

denned, denning 

1. to live in or as if in a den.

Den.

²

abbreviation

1. Denmark.

den

¹

/ dɛn /

noun

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

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

3. a squalid or wretched room or retreat

4. a site or haunt

   a den of vice

5. a small wooded valley; dingle

6. dialect,  a place of sanctuary in certain catching games; home or base

verb

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

Den.

²

abbreviation

1. Denmark

Word History and Origins

Origin of den¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of den¹

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

Example Sentences

Government-funded housing projects as a result have too often turned into drug dens.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Aetna alleges in a lawsuit filed last year that Young and others defrauded the insurer of at least $40 million for fabricated addiction treatment at about a dozen facilities Aetna described as “drug dens.”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Kirk was also known for going to college campuses and speaking to students: entering the lion’s den and affably challenging audiences to “change my mind.”

Read more on Salon

She returned to an area near Topanga Canyon, where she denned for months, beginning in October.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I never felt the metropolis up the 5 to be a den of grossness like too many of my fellow Orange Countians still think it is.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cave 
• hotbed 
• nest 
• sanctuary