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

From rare first editions and art history volumes to beloved novels and cookbooks, the guest-only collection invites visitors to slow down, settle in, and borrow books throughout their stay for the ultimate literary retreat experience. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 15 July 2026

That number was still a pipe dream weeks later when, as the story goes, Mary Kay borrowed twelve dollars to hightail it to Dallas for a Stanley sales rally. — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026

Its iconic, thick scales, meanwhile, were borrowed from the sungazer lizard. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 15 July 2026

In the early days of the war, Union troops from Boston had borrowed the familiar melody of a religious camp meeting song and added new lyrics lionizing John Brown, the leader of the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026