burrow

noun

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bur·row | \ ˈbər-(ˌ)ō

; ˈbə-(ˌ)rō \

Definition of burrow

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a hole or excavation in the ground made by an animal (such as a rabbit) for shelter and habitation

burrow

verb

burrowed; burrowing; burrows

Definition of burrow (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : 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

1a : 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

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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 They have been documented using gopher tortoise burrows and eating tortoise eggs and the young. — Joel Shannon, USA TODAY, "Georgia officials trying to stop large, invasive lizard that eats 'anything they want'," 13 May 2020 The black and white tegus have been documented using gopher tortoise burrows and eating tortoise and alligator eggs, as well as the tortoise young. — NBC News, "Invasive South American lizard sighted in Georgia for 3rd year, conservation group says," 13 May 2020 Among the crested toad’s ideal hiding spots are crab burrows, spider lairs, and nest cavities created by small Caribbean birds called todies. — National Geographic, "Puerto Rican crested toad," 26 Mar. 2020 The reverse-evolution is designed to help the ants belonging to the soldier caste properly close off burrow entrances in order to protect the colony. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "Why These Ants Undergo Reverse-Evolution To Defend Their Colonies," 11 Mar. 2020 When fiddler crab burrows were tucked among the vegetation, little extra gas was released. — Science | AAAS, "Fiddler crabs produce more carbon dioxide than their marshy homes can handle," 15 Aug. 2019 But in October 2016, Sasson, then a biologist at the Nature Conservancy, was one of the first people to notice mussels emerging from the safety of their usual burrows in the creek bed. — Marion Renault, Wired, "Freshwater Mussels Are Dying—Which Is the Likeliest Culprit?," 18 Apr. 2020 Eyre thinks trawling might have a relatively greater impact on denitrification in deeper waters where animal burrows are more stable. — Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Fishing trawlers could harm water quality by disrupting seafloor microbes," 3 Mar. 2020 The new property is also home to an estimated 2,000 gopher tortoises, whose burrows provide shelter for many other species. — BostonGlobe.com, "ATLANTA — Conservation groups have purchased a swath of land in Georgia that they describe as one of the largest unprotected open space parcels along the southeast Atlantic Coast.," 9 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The nickname burrowed under Annie’s skin, and did not leave. — Hilary Leichter, Harper's Magazine, "Terrace Story," 25 May 2020 Scan the bottom for the wild translucent red arms of the smaller moonglow anemones (Anthopleura artemisia) or the flashlight-like burrowing anemones. — Patrick May, The Mercury News, "How low can you go? West Coast tides this summer should be astonishing," 3 June 2019 This is the newer part of the tunnel, a section burrowed out between 2011 and 2018. — Madeline Ostrander, Smithsonian Magazine, "In a Tunnel Beneath Alaska, Scientists Race to Understand Disappearing Permafrost," 4 May 2020 This is the newer part of the tunnel, a section burrowed out between 2011 and 2018. — Madeline Ostrander, Wired, "Want to Study Permafrost? Get It Before It's Gone," 2 May 2020 But the disease is still around today. Caused by a soil-living bacterium known as Yersinia pestis, plague can infect small hosts, such as fleas, and then jump to ground-burrowing rodents, and so on up the food chain. — National Geographic, "See the Full Archive," 3 Apr. 2020 Once those wasp eggs hatch, the baby wasps burrow inside the nymphs and devour them from the inside out, leaving only a hollow husk. — Los Angeles Times, "Want to save your citrus trees? Start a full-fledged insect war," 24 Apr. 2020 For example, the City of West Palm Beach recently paid $1.8 million to repair a weir that was partially damaged by burrowing iguanas and to armor the low dam against further damage. — Popular Science, "Iguanas are falling out of trees in Florida, and it’s completely fine," 25 Jan. 2020 All those wet, leftover leaves can also cause snow mold to thrive, and provide cover for burrowing critters like voles and mice. — Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, "Read this before finishing that fall yard cleanup," 8 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'burrow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.