warren

noun

war·​ren ˈwȯr-ən 

ˈwär-

1

chiefly British

a

: a place legally authorized for keeping small game (such as hare or pheasant)

b

: the privilege of hunting game in such a warren

2

a(1)

: an area (as of uncultivated ground) where rabbits breed

(2)

: a structure where rabbits are kept or bred

b

: the rabbits of a warren

3

a

: a crowded tenement or district

b

: a maze of passageways or small rooms

Synonyms

• labyrinth
• maze
• rabbit warren

Examples of warren in a Sentence

a warren of narrow hallways

got lost in the warren of interconnected side streets

Recent Examples on the Web

The different warrens of the Shop are based on ancient mercurial tactics all deployed in harmony, like a shopping orchestra. —Brennan Kilbane, Allure, 5 Apr. 2024

Scutt has reimagined the 1,250-seat August Wilson Theatre as an intimate club—warrens of labyrinthine new corridors and passageways, three new bars, and an auditorium reinvented as a theater-in-the-round. —Adrienne Miller, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024

For most visitors, brushes with Cape Malay culture are limited to Bo-Kaap, a warren of rainbow-bright houses and mosques on the slopes of the iconic Signal Hill. —Sarah Khan, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Feb. 2024

Israeli soldiers found the bodies of some hostages, intact and without external injuries, inside the warren of tunnels Hamas has dug beneath Gaza. —Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2024

Now, a combination of high apartment rents and tumbling prices for commercial buildings has fueled the urge to make corporate warrens habitable. —Curbed, 24 Jan. 2024

The compound was about a half-mile into the warren of tunnels, which was lined with electricity and communications cables, and about 65 feet — or about six floors — underground. —Isabel Kershner, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2024

Today, the camp’s warren of roads and alleyways is mostly empty, save for the few children chasing one another in games of tag. —Hiba Yazbek, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2023

Instead of fighting the midday scrum, book a table on the patio or in the warren of pretty rooms upstairs to eat wintry Andalusian fare like oxtail, roast pork or luscious tuna from the Strait of Gibraltar (lunch for two, about €80). —Andrew Ferren, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wareine, from Anglo-French warenne, garenne

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing warren

• rabbit warren

Kids Definition

warren

noun

war·​ren ˈwȯr-ən 

ˈwär-

: a place where rabbits breed

Geographical Definition

Warren

geographical name

War·​ren ˈwȯr-ən 

ˈwär-

1

city in southeastern Michigan north of Detroit population 134,056

2

city in northeastern Ohio northwest of Youngstown population 41,557

Biographical Definition

Warren 1 of 5

biographical name (1)

War·​ren ˈwȯr-ən 

ˈwär-

Earl 1891–1974 American jurist; chief justice U.S. Supreme Court (1953–69)

Warren

2 of 5

biographical name (2)

Gou*ver*neur ˌgə-vər-ˈnir 

ˌgə-və-

Kemble 1830–1882 American general

Warren

3 of 5

biographical name (3)

Joseph 1741–1775 American physician and general in Revolution

Warren

4 of 5

biographical name (4)

J. Robin 1937–     Australian pathologist

Warren

5 of 5

biographical name (5)

Robert Penn 1905–1989 American author and educator; poet laureate (1986–87)