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
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Recent Examples of borrow
Each night presents a new way of dying (stabbings, exploding limbs, axes to the head), as Sandberg borrows from slasher movies, psychological horror, monster flicks and more.
—
Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
The vibe, to borrow the report’s own language, is one of mounting hesitation.
—Catherine Baab, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025
The French government required the country to borrow 30 million francs from French banks to make the first two payments, and Haiti soon defaulted.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
Women have been borrowing men’s tailoring as far back as Dietrich and Garbo and beyond.
—Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
The vibe, to borrow the report’s own language, is one of mounting hesitation.
—Catherine Baab, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025
The French government required the country to borrow 30 million francs from French banks to make the first two payments, and Haiti soon defaulted.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
Women have been borrowing men’s tailoring as far back as Dietrich and Garbo and beyond.
—Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for borrow
Verb
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Courts will not second-guess the safety measures employers adopt, even when those measures infringe on an employee’s privacy, unless the measures are unreasonable under the circumstances.—
Dan Eaton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Apr. 2025
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After her split from Ritchie, Madonna adopted three kids on her own — her 19-year-old daughter Mercy and her 12-year-old twins.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Even the more traditional and long standing players are embracing AI rapidly.—
Dr. Sai Balasubramanian, M.D.,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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An English professor at Emory & Henry, Matthew has fully embraced our community since relocating from Iowa and had spent the previous day volunteering at a food-distribution center in Damascus.—
Barbara Kingsolver,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Borrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/borrow. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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