tunnel

noun tun·nel \ ˈtə-nᵊl \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Examples: tunnel in a Sentence

Definition of tunnel

1 a : a covered passageway; specifically : a horizontal passageway through or under an obstruction

b : a subterranean gallery (as in a mine)

c : burrow

2 : a hollow conduit or recess : tube, well

—

tunnellike

play \ˈtə-nᵊl-ˌ(l)īk\ adjective

See tunnel defined for English-language learners

See tunnel defined for kids

Examples of tunnel in a Sentence

The train goes through a tunnel in the mountain.
The moles dug tunnels in the yard.

Recent Examples of tunnel from the Web

This is when citrus leaf miner moths lay their eggs that hatch into larvae to tunnel within the leaves.

— tom maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Caterpillar invasion isn't end for healthy tree," 14 July 2018
The property features air shafts that provide ventilation to the Red Line tunnel, and the building has huge industrial chillers on the roof that pump in cool air to the Gallery Place, Judiciary Square and Archives-Navy Memorial stations.

— martine powers, Washington Post, "Metro seeks buyer for downtown D.C. headquarters," 12 July 2018
That single dynamic, player and coach, will drive news ink by the tanker and propel Internet clicks to carpal tunnel.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Memo to Luke Walton: Here's comes LeBron ... and all that comes with it," 2 July 2018
During the demolition, a group of journalists, including from The Associated Press, witnessed a series of huge explosions that centered on entrances to three tunnels.

— deb riechmann and matthew pennington, Fox News, "A need to verify NKorea nuclear pledges," 22 June 2018
Thompson was ejected from Game 1 for an apparent elbow, and on his way to the tunnel whipped the ball at Green’s face, basically inviting mayhem.

— liz raiss, GQ, "Draymond Green Trolled LeBron James Via T-Shirt," 13 June 2018
The next morning Satan found an opening that led to an intricate tunnel and cave complex.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5,000 military dogs went to Vietnam; not a single one came back. Now there is a memorial to honor them.," 28 May 2018
The earth under our feet shook as the buildings next to the tunnel were also detonated.

— tim schwarz and will ripley, CNN, "The day we saw decades of North Korea's nuclear work go up in smoke," 25 May 2018
Last month, Musk tweeted out an animation that showed a bus at ground level suddenly descending below ground to a tunnel drilled by his Boring Company.

— marco della cava, USA TODAY, "A Saudi hyperloop: kingdom is keen on Richard Branson's levitating speed pods as oil alternative," 2 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of tunnel

Middle English tonel cask, tun, from Anglo-French, from tone tun

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1508

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

tunnel

verb

Definition of tunnel

tunneled or tunnelled; tunneling or tunnelling play \ˈtən-liŋ, ˈtə-nᵊl-iŋ\

intransitive verb

1 : to make or use a tunnel

2 physics : to pass through a potential barrier

electrons tunneling through an insulator between semiconductors

transitive verb

: to make a tunnel or similar opening through or under; also : to make (one's way) by or as if by making a tunnel

—

tunneler

play \ˈtən-lər, ˈtə-nᵊl-ər\ noun

See tunnel defined for English-language learners

Examples of tunnel in a Sentence

Workers are tunneling through the hill.
Insects had tunneled into the tree.

Recent Examples of tunnel from the Web

Elon Musk and Mayor Rahm Emanuel announce plans to tunnel with Musk's Boring Company for high-speed transit to O'Hare International Airport in the unfinished station under Block 37 on June 14, 2018.

— mary wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, "Elon Musk's plans for O'Hare express draw skepticism," 14 June 2018
Musk’s companies could help by trying to locate the boys’ precise location (Space Exploration Technologies), excavating and pumping water (tunneling startup Boring Co.) or providing heavy-duty battery packs (Tesla’s Powerwalls).

— recode staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: EPA chief Scott Pruitt is the seventh cabinet-level person to leave the Trump administration," 6 July 2018
The sunshine also spurred a lot of growth, with brush and wildflowers growing tall and tunneling the ridgeline hike until the Junior Pole.

— author: kat sorensen, Anchorage Daily News, "Mount Marathon race trail has it all: snow, lush vegetation, flowing water and lots of dust," 3 July 2018
When the eggs hatch, larvae enter the leaves and begin to tunnel between the leaf surfaces.

— tom maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Strange happenings among citrus trees," 29 June 2018
Musk founded the company in the hope of alleviating city gridlock by building more tunnels, an endeavor that has set the company's engineers toward improving tunneling techniques.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "Chicago selects Elon Musk’s Boring Company to build express line from O‘Hare," 14 June 2018
Surprise Aquatic Center The center is packed with water activities, from zero-depth areas with water features to flume and tunnel slides, a vortex whirlpool, a competition pool, a diving well and two 1-meter boards.

— azcentral, "45 Phoenix area splash pads, parks and water features," 14 June 2018
Previous attempts to build a north-south metro line were met with resistance, as locals objected to the potential damage posed by tunneling through Amsterdam’s historic city center.

— meilan solly, Smithsonian, "New Website Unearths Amsterdam’s History Via 700,000 Artifacts Spanning 5,000 Years," 2 July 2018
Original subway extension plans called for tunneling past central Piazza Venezia and under the Tiber River toward the Vatican so Rome would finally have a metro that goes through the heart of the city.

— Washington Post, "Dogged by buses afire, Roman commuters get new metro station," 12 May 2018

First Known Use of tunnel

1795

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

TUNNEL Defined for English Language Learners

tunnel

noun

Definition of tunnel for English Language Learners

: a passage that goes under the ground, through a hill, etc.

tunnel

verb

Definition of tunnel for English Language Learners

: to make a tunnel

TUNNEL Defined for Kids

tunnel

noun tun·nel \ ˈtə-nᵊl \

Definition of tunnel for Students

: a passage under the ground

tunnel

verb

Definition of tunnel for Students

tunneled or tunnelled; tunneling or tunnelling

: to make a passage under the ground

Medical Dictionary

tunnel

noun tun·nel \ ˈtən-ᵊl \

medical Definition of tunnel

: a bodily channel — see carpal tunnel

Learn More about tunnel

See words that rhyme with tunnel Spanish Central: Translation of tunnel Nglish: Translation of tunnel for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tunnel for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tunnel

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tunnel

Definition of tunnel

tunnellike

Examples of tunnel in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tunnel from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tunnel

tunnel

Definition of tunnel

tunneler

Examples of tunnel in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tunnel from the Web

First Known Use of tunnel

Phrases Related to TUNNEL

Related Phrases

TUNNEL Defined for English Language Learners

tunnel

Definition of tunnel for English Language Learners

tunnel

Definition of tunnel for English Language Learners

TUNNEL Defined for Kids

tunnel

Definition of tunnel for Students

tunnel

Definition of tunnel for Students

Medical Dictionary

tunnel

medical Definition of tunnel

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