den
noun
the lair or shelter of a wild animal, especially a predatory mammal.
den
1 American
[den]
/ dɛn /
noun
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dens
plural
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the lair or shelter of a wild animal, especially a predatory mammal.
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a room, often secluded, in a house or apartment, designed to provide a quiet, comfortable, and informal atmosphere for conversation, reading, writing, etc.
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a cave used as a place of shelter or concealment.
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a squalid or vile abode or place.
dens of misery.
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one of the units of a cub scout pack, analogous to a patrol in the Boy Scouts.
verb (used with object)
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dens,
present (3rd person singular)
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denned,
past participle, past
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denning
present participle
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to drive or pursue (an animal) into its den.
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to kill (an animal) inside its den.
verb (used without object)
-
dens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
denned,
past participle, past
-
denning
present participle
Den.
2
American
abbreviation
den
1
British
/ dɛn /
noun
-
the habitat or retreat of a lion or similar wild animal; lair
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a small or secluded room in a home, often used for carrying on a hobby
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a squalid or wretched room or retreat
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a site or haunt
a den of vice
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a small wooded valley; dingle
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dialect a place of sanctuary in certain catching games; home or base
verb
Den.
2
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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densimple
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denssimple
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have dennedperfect
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has dennedperfect
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am denningprogressive
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are denningprogressive
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is denningprogressive
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have been denningperfect progressive
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has been denningperfect progressive
Past
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dennedsimple
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had dennedperfect
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was denningprogressive
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were denningprogressive
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had been denningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of den
before 1000; Middle English; Old English denn; compare early Dutch denne floor, cave, den, German Tenne floor
Explanation
Where’s the one place that bears go to hibernate and you go to watch the big game? It’s the den, a secluded room or shelter. Den is an Old English word meaning “shelter for a wild animal.” While we still use it in this sense, the word has taken on some additional meanings. For example, den can refer to a room that's used primarily for relaxing, watching television, and socializing with friends. (If your friends tend to act wild at times, then perhaps this definition isn’t so far off from the original one.) Den can also mean "a hideout for criminals."
Vocabulary lists containing den
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Beowulf vocabulary
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3-letter words, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Scottish champions have signed four first-team players so far this window and have been linked with Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, Parma midfielder Oliver Sorensen and PSV Eindhoven midfielder Joel van den Berg.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Around 10 a.m., a staff member noticed that Samba wasn’t leaving her den.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Additionally, the home has a den, built-in storage, curved staircase, outdoor movie pavilion, and 50-foot-long lap pool designed by Johnston Vidal.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
“We are confident in our strategy and progress, yet remain prudent given ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty,” finance chief Harold van den Broek said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Rowdy,” I said in a whisper, “whatever that is, it must be suffering. I bet that storm blew down a den tree that had some baby coons in it and one of them got hurt.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Jeered heading into the ring but cheered as he left, Dubois told reporters: "I was Daniel in the Lion's Den. I was unstoppable. I wasn't going to be denied."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2024
"Leicester came to the Den. We were winning 1-0, it was on TV, and I'd scored the goal," says Dunne.
From BBC ● May 31, 2016
Come on, dear old Den.; you'll hardly believe it, but I haven't got a scratch of my own.
From With Haig on the Somme by Archibald Webb
But a century after the term first emerged to describe the clandestine drinking dens of Prohibition, its meaning has blurred.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
Raising their beds off the ground can keep older dogs away from draughts, while cats may like playing or resting in high-up dens or on climbing posts.
From BBC ● Jan. 2, 2026
In its famous showstopper, “Ya Got Trouble,” con man Harold Hill warns the River City townsfolk about supposed dens of immorality, and the children notice Matty in the crowd, holding a bundle.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2025
Back when he was working as a wildlife officer in Mammoth Lakes in the 1990s, Searles says he often saw coyotes sleeping outside bear dens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2025
By late morning, I’m just another menagerie man: cleaning dens, chopping food, and hauling manure with the rest of them.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
She returned to an area near Topanga Canyon, where she denned for months, beginning in October.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2025
During her time under observation, Uno probably denned more than once; she produced at least one litter, with four kittens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2024
He recommends waiting to put feeders out until there is 4 to 6 inches of snow on the ground to be sure the bears denned for the winter.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2017
The development of Indian self-government has been clearly denned British policy since 1917.
From Time Magazine Archive
I knew the old ringtails would be hungry and stirring for they had been denned up during the storm.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
The researchers concluded that the cave was used primarily by hibernating cave bears and denning hyenas, with only periodic human presence.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 31, 2024
In 2022, authorities were able to tag her ear and attached a satellite tracking collar when they discovered her denning under a residence with her three cubs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2023
“We get 10-20 reports of bears denning under porches every year, and we have never had a negative incident that occurred as a result of this,” Mr. Hawley said.
From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2023
What researchers do know is that the pups stay with their mothers later into the denning season, shifting pack dynamics.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 6, 2022
They avoided other clumps of blackened trees just in case they stumbled into more holes, but each time Owen saw a burned-out denning site, he felt a pang of sadness.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
