burrow

1 of 2

noun

bur·​row ˈbər-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce burrow (audio)
ˈbə-(ˌ)rō
: a hole or excavation in the ground made by an animal (such as a rabbit) for shelter and habitation

burrow

2 of 2

verb

burrowed; burrowing; burrows

intransitive verb

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
2
: to make a motion suggestive of burrowing : snuggle, nestle
burrowed against his back for warmth
3
: to conceal oneself in or as if in a burrow

transitive verb

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
2
: to make a motion suggestive of burrowing with : nestle
burrows her hand into mine
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
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 See More

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

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.

Kids Definition

burrow

1 of 2 noun
bur·​row ˈbər-ō How to pronounce burrow (audio)
ˈbə-rō
: a hole in the ground made by an animal (as a rabbit or fox) for shelter or protection

burrow

2 of 2 verb
1
: 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
: 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!