1
: the lair of a wild usually predatory animal
2
a(1)
: a hollow or cavern used especially as a hideout
(2)
: a center of secret activity
b
: a small usually squalid dwelling
3
: a comfortable usually secluded room
4
: a subdivision of a Cub Scout pack made up of two or more children
5
British
: a small structure built by children as a place to play, hide, or provide shelter
We roamed the fields and made dens in the hedges, dragging old logs and brushwood with scraps of canvas and rope to make shelters to hide in.—
Pat Smith
Pat Smith
denned; denning
: to live in or retire to a den
polar bears den in ice caves or snowdrifts
: to drive into a den
Denmark
Examples of den in a Sentence
Noun
The bears will spend most of the winter in their den.
The TV is in the den.
He spent most evenings in the den reading and smoking his pipe.
Recent Examples on the Web
Amy Wallace, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
California Department of Fish and Wildlife A team of scientists attached a GPS collar to a Sierra Nevada red fox in the Lassen Peak area in 2018, leading to the team discovering several dens and giving them a better understanding of the reproduction, movement and habitat use.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 19 Feb. 2026
When the cold weather hits, some people like to use a space heater to give a chilly bedroom, living room, home office, or den a heat boost during the colder days of the year.
—Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for den
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
But Giuffre is not the girl at the center of that story (Giuffre was 16 — two years older — when Maxwell lured her into their den).
—Amy Wallace, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026
California Department of Fish and Wildlife A team of scientists attached a GPS collar to a Sierra Nevada red fox in the Lassen Peak area in 2018, leading to the team discovering several dens and giving them a better understanding of the reproduction, movement and habitat use.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
While some area black bears slow down and den up over the winter, some remain active year-round, searching for human food, writes the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in a blog post.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 19 Feb. 2026
When the cold weather hits, some people like to use a space heater to give a chilly bedroom, living room, home office, or den a heat boost during the colder days of the year.
—Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for den
Cite this Entry
“Den.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/den. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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