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
Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
The actor plays a depressed and traumatized FBI agent leading a task force investigating a series of home invasions targeting drug dens in the area.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Adrienne Marshall, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025
The bear stayed denned up through Frebruary, March, and April.
—Jim Rearden, Outdoor Life, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for den
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Noun
The family lives in an apartment with two bedrooms and a den that was converted into a room with barn doors.
—Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
The actor plays a depressed and traumatized FBI agent leading a task force investigating a series of home invasions targeting drug dens in the area.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 Dec. 2025
Verb
One example is the wolverine, an endangered species that requires deep snow for denning over the winter.
—Adrienne Marshall, The Conversation, 1 Dec. 2025
The bear stayed denned up through Frebruary, March, and April.
—Jim Rearden, Outdoor Life, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for den
Cite this Entry
“Den.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/den. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
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