dens

noun

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 Think under-stair dog dens, laundry-room cat cubbies tucked next to the dryer for warmth, and litter box enclosures hidden inside custom benches with ventilation fans that exhaust odor outside. — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2026 Doggy dens and cat cubbies Cozy sleeping nooks built into under-stair cavities, cabinet bases, or custom millwork, giving pets a den of their own that disappears into the architecture. — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026 Our thriving food capital draws diners out with sunlit farmers markets, midnight taco stands, multigenerational kebab shops and serene sushi dens. — Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026 These drinking dens sit side by side with decades-old pubs that welcome locals and visitors with open arms (but maybe not a smile, especially in the winter). — Tanya Edwards, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026 These are important tools used for both feeding and building their dens and digging for other menu items such as mice, gophers, voles and shrews. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026 My favorite book Tracking and the Art of Seeing taught you how to read animal signs, how to find claw marks on trees and dens in hollow logs. — Emeline Atwood, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026 State biologists are monitoring dens for signs of new pups. — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 27 May 2026 There would be heroin dens and gay bars and this underbelly of popular culture at the time. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dens
  1. lairs
  2. hideouts
  3. nests
  4. burrows
  5. houses
Noun
  • These involve raiding the lairs of hoodlum rivals, then singlehandedly dissuading them from competition.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Definition of lairs
Noun
  • Security forces carried out a ground operation along the border late Sunday, followed by strikes against militant hideouts and safe havens, killing 29 fighters, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.
    — Abdul Qahar Afghan, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
  • Pakistani security forces carried out a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late Sunday, followed by strikes against militant hideouts and safe havens, killing 29 fighters, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 June 2026
Definition of hideouts
Noun
  • Juncos typically build nests on the ground, on gently sloping rocks, and in the roots of felled trees.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 27 July 2026
  • Chief among the dangers is climate change that has led to rising seas and erosion washing out oystercatcher nests.
    — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of nests
Noun
  • Around the dozens of containers that make Toolik the US’s largest research station in the Arctic, musk ox and caribou graze on dwarf birches and fragrant labrador tea, while Arctic ground squirrels pop out of their burrows to survey the tundra.
    — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • In Florida, wild iguanas can live in burrows, culverts, drainage pipes and rock and debris piles found along canal banks or in vacant lots.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of burrows
Noun
  • Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • A lot of Eastern European Jewish refugees arrived in France after the pogroms and worked as tailors and seamstresses for the couture houses.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of houses

Browse Nearby Words

de novo
dens
dense
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Cite this Entry

“Dens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dens. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on dens

Nglish: Translation of dens for Spanish Speakers

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