Synonyms of borrow

borrow

verb

ˈbär-(ˌ)ō 

as in to adopt

to take for one's own use (something originated by another)

borrowed the basic plot from a book of tales, but put her personal stamp on the story

Synonyms & Similar Words

• adopt
• embrace
• take up
• cultivate
• use
• assimilate
• take on
• utilize
• follow
• copy
• imitate
• incorporate
• pick up on
• espouse
• absorb
• quote
• usurp
• appropriate
• treasure
• honor
• cherish
• raise
• heed
• take over
• domesticate
• prize
• pretend
• assume
• affect
• naturalize
• arrogate
• simulate
• foster
• nurture
• put on
• bring up
• rear

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abandon
• relinquish
• forsake
• give up
• surrender
• reject
• disown
• renounce
• repudiate
• abjure
• spurn
• discard
• throw away
• jettison
• throw out
• abnegate
• junk

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of borrow

Loran was ticked off by Lichtenstein’s Portrait of Madame Cézanne (1963), a painting that borrowed Loran’s own diagram analyzing the Paul Cézanne work of the same name. — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Artificial intelligence developers have borrowed the word to describe boiling down a big AI model into a smaller one—and lately the biggest AI companies say that rivals have been distilling like bootleggers. — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026

Some economists believe the vast sums of money being borrowed by private AI companies could pile additional pressure on government bond yields. — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 7 Oct. 2026

The hybrid option that borrows from both Want the best of both without extra steps? — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026