dens

plural of den
1
as in lairs
the shelter or resting place of a wild animal the foxes hid in their den until the bear finally left the area

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in hideouts
a place where a person goes to hide or to avoid others an abandoned building that is often used as a den by the city's petty criminals

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dens To survive Alaska’s punishing winters, brown bears spend the season hibernating in their dens. Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025 Along the way, visitors may spot signs of the sanctuary’s most visible resident, the beaver, from impressive dams to cleverly constructed dens and lodges, as well as birds such as the snow goose, lapland longspur, and chimney swift. Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Sep. 2025 Bears do not truly hibernate, but instead enervate, or enter a state of torpor, in their dens. Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2025 Gone were the dark bars and cigar dens, replaced postwar by suitably mid-century alleys with shiny chrome bumper rails. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2025 While you may be tempted to blame other animals such as opossums or snakes, or even coyotes for making holes or burrows in your yard, these creatures are more likely to use existing animal holes for their dens. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025 During this time, around two dozen species of snakes slither from their winter dens in high limestone cliffs to their summer feeding grounds in LaRue Swamp. Owen Clarke, Outside, 19 Sep. 2025 The premise of the fashion show drew plenty of social media chatter, the trolls emerged from their dens like clockwork to critique, and, by the metrics of engagement, Raising Cane’s came out on top, with plenty of precious Fashion Week headlines. Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025 The cats raise their young in dens and are most active at dawn and dusk, according to PICA. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dens
Noun
  • If this were true, Solomon would learn all of this elder’s secret hideouts and survival tricks, resulting in a formidable pair for any hunter to take on.
    Jim Tschetter, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2025
  • According to the Old Farmers Almanac, however, the moon’s name actually refers to the worm-like beetle larvae that come out from winter hideouts, such as thawing tree bark, during this time of year.
    Hannah Poukish, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Brood parasites such as cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, tricking the hosts into caring for their offspring at the expense of their own.
    Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Their characters range from alien birds discussing the optimal amount of stones in nests to Aztec warriors unaware of guns to bumbling, chess-playing professors.
    Book Marks October 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Not camping, sleeping or resting near animal burrows or areas where dead rodents are observed.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025
  • While you may be tempted to blame other animals such as opossums or snakes, or even coyotes for making holes or burrows in your yard, these creatures are more likely to use existing animal holes for their dens.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • There are houses with multi- generational expansions, a farm, synagogue, stone quarry, wells, crops, and livestock.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
  • According to the California state government, the state houses 32 of the world's top 50 AI companies, and more than half of global venture capital funding for AI and machine learning startups went to Bay Area companies last year.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2025

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“Dens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dens. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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