den

[ den ]

/ dɛn /

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.

QUIZZES

IT’S A WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ BONANZA!

This windfall of words will make you rich with knowledge. Mine your memory on the words from July 27 to August 2!

Question 1 of 7

What does "scattergood" mean?

a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.

a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.

a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of den

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

Words nearby den

demyelinate, demyelinating disease, demyelination, demystify, demythologize, den, Denali, Denali National Park, Denali National Park and Preserve, denar, denarius

Definition for den (2 of 2)

Den.

Denmark.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences 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
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
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 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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

den

noun

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

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