to take or obtain with the promise to return the same or an equivalent.
Our neighbor borrowed my lawn mower.
to use, appropriate, or introduce from another source or from a foreign source.
to borrow an idea from the opposition;
to borrow a word from French.
Arithmetic. (in subtraction) to take from one denomination and add to the next lower.
to borrow something.
Don't borrow unless you intend to repay.
Nautical.
to sail close to the wind; luff.
to sail close to the shore.
Golf. to putt on other than a direct line from the lie of the ball to the hole, to compensate for the incline or roll of the green.
to obtain or receive (something, such as money) on loan for temporary use, intending to give it, or something equivalent or identical, back to the lender
to adopt (ideas, words, etc) from another source; appropriate
not_standard to lend
golf to putt the ball uphill of the direct path to the hole
(intr) golf (of a ball) to deviate from a straight path because of the slope of the ground
golf a deviation of a ball from a straight path because of the slope of the ground
a left borrow
material dug from a borrow pit to provide fill at another
living an unexpected extension of life
close to death
The use of off after borrow was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable in informal contexts
First recorded before 900; Middle English borowen, Old English borgian “to borrow, lend,” verb derivative of borg “a pledge”; cognate with Dutch borg “a pledge,” borgen “to charge, give credit,” German Borg “credit,” borgen “to take on credit”
The word borrow means to take something and use it temporarily. You can borrow a book from the library, or borrow twenty bucks from your mom, or even borrow an idea from your friend. Usually , borrow implies taking something temporarily and returning it later. However, you can borrow non-physical things and adopt them as your own. For example, the English language has borrowed many words from other languages — such as Latin and Greek — but those words were never "given back." If you're subtracting numbers, you might have to borrow from the tens column to complete the problem.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Investment-grade technology companies are increasingly using their balance sheets to help smaller companies borrow money for their infrastructure needs, a phenomenon known within the industry as a “credit wrapper.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
And it was not beyond her to borrow a good idea...
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Higher yields make it more expensive for the government, businesses and households to borrow.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
For the 25th anniversary performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the production team planned to borrow one of the chandeliers that Swarovski had made for the 2004 “Phantom” film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
James Ford walked to the Treasury Department a few blocks away to borrow several flags to decorate the president’s box.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Searching on sites like AllBorrow and Borrow the Bazaar, the standard price to rent one outfit for eight days is between $120 and $200.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
The Geffens launched the company later that year, with a model used by other companies like Bag Borrow or Steal and By Rotation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Tricolor isn’t a private credit fund, but its businesses was built on the same idea: Borrow money from banks, lend it to borrowers who don’t have access to bank financing—for a high yield.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025
Borrow gear for free, shop sales, repair instead of replace and other tips for extending the life of your outdoor and camping equipment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
Borrow the warthog from Baba Joseph, I expect, thought Nhamo, but she said, “I’m glad Sister Gladys is pleased with my work.”
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
The referees are from all four corners of the globe, all from different football associations, separate confederations, and Fifa effectively borrows their services for six weeks.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The Treasury Department has kept a lid on issuing longer-duration government bonds to control supply and costs as it borrows to fund the large U.S. deficit.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
This version borrows a trick from French pastry, folding the dough again and again until distinct layers emerge.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
The dollar’s secret sauce is the compounding network effect of a world that prices, borrows, hedges, and settles in one currency.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
“Even though it’s a loan company, it’s never made any loans. Not one. It just borrows money from one bank and pays it back to another. That’s all it does. Borrow and pay back.”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
In the hours and days after his escape, Khalife called Khan several times using phones borrowed from members of the public, the court heard.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The UK government borrowed slightly less than expected in June, according to official figures published as new prime minister Andy Burnham began setting out measures to cut living costs for households.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
What Mr. Bailey does not mention is that his book’s subtitle, “The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark,” and its basic organizational structure is also borrowed from Mr. Stannard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Singh and his wife have already borrowed thousands from family members to keep the rebuild on schedule and spent hours on the phone with their mortgage company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
I pinned my hair into curls and borrowed my sister’s lip rouge, humming while the radio blared the news that Germany had invaded Czechoslovakia.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
But borrowing a generation's vocabulary, she argues, is easier than engaging with the frustrations that produced it.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
A borrowing binge by big tech companies is causing investor fatigue and pushing up the cost of capital across the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Its debt payments now eat about a quarter of the national budget, and the government just penciled in a 3% borrowing cost, up from 2%.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Stephen Millard, Niesr's deputy director for macroeconomics, said: "There's clearly no scope for increasing borrowing, so it is about choices."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
My mom borrowing toilet paper rolls from work.
From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate
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.
