as in to adopt
to take for one's own use (something originated by another)
borrowed the basic plot from a book of tales, but put her personal stamp on the story
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Recent Examples of borrow
Where Wilson and Fischer really deepen Wills-Jones’ tale is in the private moments between the fisherwoman and her wicker husband, who awaits her at the altar in a handsome new suit and shoes borrowed from her neighbors — the tailor (Nabhaan Rizwan), shoemaker (Scott Alexander Yougng) and so on.
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Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Capital then becomes more expensive for utilities — both borrowing costs and the costs to maintain and upgrade critical infrastructure increase.
—Rory M. Christian, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
Notes of tea aren’t totally new in the perfume world; Early adopters of the trend include Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria and Elizabeth Arden's White Tea range, but the latest iterations borrow from modern sips ranging from chai to matcha, and everything in between.
—Karina Hoshikawa, Refinery29, 23 Jan. 2026
And Sean Payton is borrowing from the script written by his mentor Bill Parcells.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
Capital then becomes more expensive for utilities — both borrowing costs and the costs to maintain and upgrade critical infrastructure increase.
—Rory M. Christian, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
Notes of tea aren’t totally new in the perfume world; Early adopters of the trend include Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria and Elizabeth Arden's White Tea range, but the latest iterations borrow from modern sips ranging from chai to matcha, and everything in between.
—Karina Hoshikawa, Refinery29, 23 Jan. 2026
And Sean Payton is borrowing from the script written by his mentor Bill Parcells.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for borrow
Verb
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In the middle of it is Lobotka; a Slovakian and adopted Neapolitan who plays like a Catalan.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
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For Jones and his sisters, foster care was a soft place to land, and soon his grandparents stepped in, eventually adopting the siblings.—
Libby Smith,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This season, younger designers leant into heavy knitwear pieces, embracing ancient crafts by collaborating with local artisans to create sustainable wools, alongside innovating with materials and form.—
Amy O’Brien,
Vogue,
30 Jan. 2026
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While major city police departments have embraced a philosophy of cooling down heated encounters with the public, the immigration officers in Minneapolis did the opposite – right up to the moment of Pretti’s death.—
Yahya Abou-Ghazala,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Borrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/borrow. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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