SINCE 1828
tunnel
noun
tun·nel
| \ ˈtə-nᵊl
\
\
Definition of tunnel
(Entry 1 of 2)
tunnel
verb
tunneled
or tunnelled;
tunneling
or tunnelling\ ˈtən-liŋ
, ˈtə-nᵊl-iŋ \
, ˈtə-nᵊl-iŋ \
Definition of tunnel (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to make or use a tunnel
2
physics
: to pass through a potential barrier
electrons tunneling through an insulator between semiconductors
: to make a tunnel or similar opening through or under
also
: to make (one's way) by or as if by making a tunnel
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Other Words from tunnel
Noun
tunnellike
\ ˈtə-nᵊl-ˌ(l)īk
\
adjective
\
adjective
Verb
tunneler
\ ˈtən-lər
, ˈtə-nᵊl-ər \
noun
, ˈtə-nᵊl-ər \
noun
Examples of tunnel in a Sentence
Noun
The train goes through a tunnel in the mountain. The moles dug tunnels in the yard.Verb
Workers are tunneling through the hill. Insects had tunneled into the tree.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Is there any thought to increasing the lighting in the old tunnels? — Gary Richards, The Mercury News, "New magnetic FasTrak stickers being tried in Southern California: Roadshow," 28 Aug. 2019 This story of her years hiding in the tunnels beneath the spa’s gardens will bring tears to even the most Botoxed eye. — Wendi Aarons Kj Dell’antonia, The New Yorker, "Girl, You’re a Middle-Aged Woman Now," 21 Aug. 2019 The 37-year-old has evolved from wearing baggy clothes and ill-fitting suits to becoming a trendsetter with his pre-game looks in the arena tunnels. — Jamie Lisanti, SI.com, "Fashionable 50," 18 July 2019 In Season 2, Hopper discovered vines growing in tunnels underneath Hawkins, and found that fire was their Kryptonite. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Stranger Things 3 Features the Show's Worst Monster Yet," 4 July 2019 Khafra worked in the tunnels for days at a time, eating and sleeping in there. — Michael Kunzelman, Fortune, "Wealthy Stock Trader Convicted of Murder Won't Get New Trial," 13 June 2019 Even Thursday, there were ads in subway tunnels for the men’s team’s upcoming European qualifiers and scant evidence the women are playing in the World Cup. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Is too much being asked for France as it hosts World Cup?," 31 May 2019 The investigations and recovery work are further impeded by the fact that these deaths often happen in tunnels between stations. — Kate King, WSJ, "Man Dies While Walking Between New York City Subway Cars," 30 Dec. 2018 Deadline reports that members of the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers, and Miami Dolphins also protested this week, with some players standing in the tunnels during the anthem as others raised fists or knelt on the field. — P.r. Lockhart, Vox, "Trump has repeatedly attacked the NFL. That hasn’t stopped players from protesting.," 20 Aug. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Anyone can, as A.B. did, crawl through the passageways surrounding the towering niches in the cliff, through winding staircases tunneled into the sandstone and up steps with risers double the height of modern ones, as if built for giants. — New York Times, "2 Giant Buddhas Survived 1,500 Years. Fragments, Graffiti and a Hologram Remain.," 18 June 2019 Instead of directly absorbing energy, electrons can also tunnel through barriers to get to the conduction band. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Wireless nanowire lasers absorb infrared, emit blue light," 1 June 2019 Yet the magazine’s final moment of thumb-in-the-eye relevance—this May, when Donald Trump compared Pete Buttigieg to Alfred E. Neuman—emphasized just how deeply Mad has tunnelled its way into the culture, waiting to inspire anew. — Jordan Orlando, The New Yorker, "A World Without Mad Magazine," 25 July 2019 But the challenge of tunneling through these barriers increases as the roadblocks get taller, making it so that fewer particles can break through. — Rachel Crowell, Scientific American, "Quirky Quantum Tunneling Observed," 9 July 2019 Carpenter ants build their nests by tunneling in wet and rotting wood, and generally do not go into healthy wood. — Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Carpenter ants build nests in wet, rotting wood," 3 July 2019 There and in bouncing-droplet labs that soon sprang up at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and elsewhere, droplets were seen to tunnel through barriers and perform other acts previously thought to be uniquely quantum. — Quanta Magazine, "Famous Experiment Dooms Alternative to Quantum Weirdness," 11 Oct. 2018 El Chapo’’ Guzman has been sentenced to life behind bars in a U.S. prison, a humbling end for a drug lord notorious for his ability to kill, bribe or tunnel his way out of trouble. — Tom Hays, BostonGlobe.com, "Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman sentenced to life in prison," 17 July 2019 If the setup is just right — and if the universe cooperates — some of those particles will transform into mirror-image versions of themselves, allowing them to tunnel right through the wall. — NBC News, "Scientists are searching for a mirror universe. It could be sitting right in front of you.," 30 June 2019These 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.
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More Definitions for tunnel
tunnel
noun
English Language Learners Definition of tunnel
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a passage that goes under the ground, through a hill, etc.
tunnel
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of tunnel (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make a tunnel
See the full definition for tunnel in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tunnel
noun
tun·nel
| \ ˈtə-nᵊl
\
\
Kids Definition of tunnel
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a passage under the ground
tunnel
verb
tunneled
or tunnelled;
tunneling
or tunnelling
Kids Definition of tunnel (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make a passage under the ground
tunnel
noun
tun·nel
| \ ˈtən-ᵊl
\
\
Medical Definition of tunnel
: a bodily channel — see carpal tunnel
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Comments on tunnel
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