den
noun
the lair or shelter of a wild animal, especially a predatory mammal.
den
1 American
[den]
/ dɛn /
noun
-
dens
plural
-
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.
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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
-
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
-
densimple
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denssimple
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have dennedperfect
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has dennedperfect
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am denningprogressive
-
are denningprogressive
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is denningprogressive
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have been denningperfect progressive
-
has been denningperfect progressive
Past
-
dennedsimple
-
had dennedperfect
-
was denningprogressive
-
were denningprogressive
-
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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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:
So if we’re staying at home, sometimes we’ll just grab a blanket and go into the den and get cozy on the couch and binge something on our big TV.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
Near the exhibit’s end, Philips van den Bossche’s panoramic 1606 print of Prague highlights the city’s towers, spires and bridges, with its ledger identifying the Cathedral of St. Vitus in particular.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
"The microbiome is emerging as an important factor in cancer care," said co-senior study author Marcel van den Brink, MD, PhD, chief physician executive at City of Hope.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
"During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and lose one-third of their body weight. Their winter survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before entering the den," organisers wrote.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
“Well, I don’t suppose you think I’m going to sit in your den drinking tea all afternoon,” he yelled.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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
Across Silicon Valley, work is being remade as once mellow spaces become dens of din.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 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
He said the homes maximize privacy with outdoor seating, family rooms, dens and home offices “so that people can choose to be by themselves or with other individuals when they are outside of their bedrooms.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025
It's certainly hard to imagine life at Westminster without pubs and bars, but changing social attitudes are lapping at the gates of its historic drinking dens.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2025
By the time you’re thirteen, gangs’re babyish, like dens or Legos.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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
Sagal hasn't the shaping sense of David Lean, who virtually denned the large-scale film in Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.
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
When wolves are denning, they’re anchored to one spot — the den — upping the chances of finding them.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2025
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
Ideal denning conditions and abundant food attract the antisocial animals and force them into close quarters, where it’s common for them to poke, prod, grab and otherwise annoy one another.
From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2022
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
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