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
With an airbrush borrowed from his job at an ad agency, Man Ray would blast droplets of gouache onto board or heavy paper and use stencils to organize the spray.
—
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Costs of inputs, like fertilizer, are steep; drought appears likely to hurt yields again this year; and high interest rates have made borrowing more burdensome.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
The robber barons and telecom wildcatters borrowed to build their empires, and dragged their financiers down with them when the music stopped.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025
My uncle recently crashed my car while borrowing it.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2025
Costs of inputs, like fertilizer, are steep; drought appears likely to hurt yields again this year; and high interest rates have made borrowing more burdensome.
—Connor Giffin, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Sep. 2025
The robber barons and telecom wildcatters borrowed to build their empires, and dragged their financiers down with them when the music stopped.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 23 Sep. 2025
My uncle recently crashed my car while borrowing it.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 23 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for borrow
Verb
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Two tiny kittens have stolen the hearts of internet viewers after a Reddit slideshow captured why this woman couldn't adopt one without the other.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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The team will adopt the same approach for this weekend’s game against the Steelers.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Associations that keep up with laws and embrace diligent management are simply better positioned for long-term stability and sustained owner confidence, even in the face of a shifting and sometimes unpredictable market.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
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Bella Hadid embraced her off-duty attire with an autumnal spin, wearing a Mango trenchcoat layered over staple wardrobe pieces while out in Paris on Thursday.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Borrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/borrow. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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