: a hole or excavation in the ground made by an animal (such as a rabbit) for shelter and habitation
burrowed; burrowing; burrows
1
a
: to make a burrow
A fox had burrowed into the side of the hill.
b
: to progress by or as if by digging
burrowing through a pile of paperwork
3
: to conceal oneself in or as if in a burrow
1
a
: to penetrate by means of a burrow
The tunnel burrows its way under the mountain.
b
: to construct by tunneling
burrowed a dwelling
3
archaic
: to hide in or as if in a hole in the ground made by an animal for shelter and habitation : to hide in or as if in a burrow
was burrowed in his cave
burrower
noun
Examples of burrow in a Sentence
Noun
the chipmunk retreated to its burrow to have its babies
Verb
The rabbit burrowed into the side of the hill.
The frogs burrow under the mud.
The mole burrowed its way under the ground.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023
Because its front legs are so much stronger than its back legs, it is believed to have dug and lived in burrows.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
This species of trapdoor spider constructs a trapdoor to its burrow out of silk (and sometimes soil and nearby vegetation), popping out its head to snatch passing prey.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 31 Oct. 2023
People see them most often in the fall, when 8- to 10-year-old male tarantulas leave their burrows to search for a mate.
—Brian Dakss, CBS News, 30 Oct. 2023
The tortoise is a keystone species: more than 300 other animals, including snakes, foxes and skunks, shelter in its burrows.
—Robert Kunzig, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
Female tarantulas can live multiple decades and never travel more than a few inches from their burrows.
—Katie Weeman, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2023
Ancient rodents had dug the burrow, about 10 inches wide, during the Last Ice Age, and cold temperatures had since frozen it into permafrost that never thaws.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 3 Aug. 2023
In New York Boulard watched exterminators kill rats by releasing dry ice into burrows to suffocate them with carbon dioxide.
—Madeleine Schwartz, The New York Review of Books, 27 July 2023
WIRED, 7 Oct. 2023
After infecting a vulnerable computer, the program burrows deep into the network, in some cases for months, quietly gathering and transmitting data back to Iran.
—Paul Mozur, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2023
Nothing takes the comfort out of bedtime like burrowing into stiff, starchy sheets.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2023
Some prepared to burrow in and wait it out, hoping for the best.
—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 28 Sep. 2023
Kids can burrow even deeper in colder temps by pulling up and cinching the hood, keeping drafts out and coziness in.
—Mandy Harris, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2023
As with those shows, Gargoyles burrowed into the consciousness of a generation of TV watchers who have given it cult status.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2023
Its swiveling head has LED lights that illuminate the messes in your way, which could come in handy for dust bunnies in corners or burrowed under furniture.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 14 Oct. 2023
Director Maria Friedman, in league with stars Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, burrow down to the musical’s theatrical core and discover not a shallow pool of glibness but a deep wellspring of emotionality.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
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Noun
Share [Findings] Humboldt penguins who nest in the open have more pollutant metabolites in their blood than do penguins who nest in guano-rich burrows.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harper's Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023
Because its front legs are so much stronger than its back legs, it is believed to have dug and lived in burrows.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
This species of trapdoor spider constructs a trapdoor to its burrow out of silk (and sometimes soil and nearby vegetation), popping out its head to snatch passing prey.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 31 Oct. 2023
People see them most often in the fall, when 8- to 10-year-old male tarantulas leave their burrows to search for a mate.
—Brian Dakss, CBS News, 30 Oct. 2023
The tortoise is a keystone species: more than 300 other animals, including snakes, foxes and skunks, shelter in its burrows.
—Robert Kunzig, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
Female tarantulas can live multiple decades and never travel more than a few inches from their burrows.
—Katie Weeman, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2023
Ancient rodents had dug the burrow, about 10 inches wide, during the Last Ice Age, and cold temperatures had since frozen it into permafrost that never thaws.
—Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 3 Aug. 2023
In New York Boulard watched exterminators kill rats by releasing dry ice into burrows to suffocate them with carbon dioxide.
—Madeleine Schwartz, The New York Review of Books, 27 July 2023
Verb
Each was furnished with material the rats could burrow in and had one of those exercise wheels familiar from hamster cages, except that the wheels were the size of bicycle wheels.
—WIRED, 7 Oct. 2023
After infecting a vulnerable computer, the program burrows deep into the network, in some cases for months, quietly gathering and transmitting data back to Iran.
—Paul Mozur, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2023
Nothing takes the comfort out of bedtime like burrowing into stiff, starchy sheets.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2023
Some prepared to burrow in and wait it out, hoping for the best.
—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 28 Sep. 2023
Kids can burrow even deeper in colder temps by pulling up and cinching the hood, keeping drafts out and coziness in.
—Mandy Harris, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2023
As with those shows, Gargoyles burrowed into the consciousness of a generation of TV watchers who have given it cult status.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2023
Its swiveling head has LED lights that illuminate the messes in your way, which could come in handy for dust bunnies in corners or burrowed under furniture.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 14 Oct. 2023
Director Maria Friedman, in league with stars Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, burrow down to the musical’s theatrical core and discover not a shallow pool of glibness but a deep wellspring of emotionality.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'burrow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English borow
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3
Time Traveler
The first known use of burrow was
in the 13th century
Articles Related to burrow
Dictionary Entries Near burrow
Cite this Entry
“Burrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burrow. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
burrow
1 of 2 noun
bur·row
ˈbər-ō 
ˈbə-rō
: a hole in the ground made by an animal (as a rabbit or fox) for shelter or protection
burrow
2 of 2 verb1
: to construct by tunneling
2
: to hide oneself in or as if in a burrow
3
: to move or enter by or as if by digging
burrower
noun
Medical Definition
burrow
noun
bur·row
ˈbər-(ˌ)ō, ˈbə-(ˌ)rō
: a passage or gallery formed in or under the skin by the wandering of a parasite (as the mite of scabies or a foreign hookworm)
burrow
verb
More from Merriam-Webster on burrow
Nglish: Translation of burrow for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of burrow for Arabic Speakers
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