as in caves
a passage that goes under the ground, through a hill, etc.
The train goes through a tunnel in the mountain. The moles dug tunnels in the yard.
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Recent Examples of tunnels
The store is redolent with the aroma of warm chocolate and an ambience evoking the agricultural roots of cacao with plants and growing tunnels.
—
Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
Images from the home's basement show portions of 19th-century tunnels.
—Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2026
This method uses directional drilling technology to place waste hundreds of meters underground within stable geological formations rather than excavating large tunnels in a mine.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
Russia has been seen modernizing its nuclear facilities, and in recent years, China has expanded its main test site by digging new tunnels.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 11 Feb. 2026
My 11-year-old daughter and I are in awe watching the Masters Agility Championship Preliminaries, where Border Collies and Jack Russell Terriers move like lightning through tunnels and over hurdles.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 10 Feb. 2026
Under Erdoğan, Istanbul and the rest of the country has seen a construction craze, with bridges, tunnels, plazas, malls, and roads going up seemingly overnight with little regard to the city’s cultural heritage.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Built by Italian soldiers during WWI, the tunnels are fully restored and go on for more than half a mile along the mountain’s edge.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
These will help prevent moles from building their tunnels close to your plants.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
Images from the home's basement show portions of 19th-century tunnels.
—Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 13 Feb. 2026
This method uses directional drilling technology to place waste hundreds of meters underground within stable geological formations rather than excavating large tunnels in a mine.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
Russia has been seen modernizing its nuclear facilities, and in recent years, China has expanded its main test site by digging new tunnels.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 11 Feb. 2026
My 11-year-old daughter and I are in awe watching the Masters Agility Championship Preliminaries, where Border Collies and Jack Russell Terriers move like lightning through tunnels and over hurdles.
—Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 10 Feb. 2026
Under Erdoğan, Istanbul and the rest of the country has seen a construction craze, with bridges, tunnels, plazas, malls, and roads going up seemingly overnight with little regard to the city’s cultural heritage.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Built by Italian soldiers during WWI, the tunnels are fully restored and go on for more than half a mile along the mountain’s edge.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 8 Feb. 2026
These will help prevent moles from building their tunnels close to your plants.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tunnels
Noun
-
Before Monday, the last time the caves were open to the public was 2015.—
Molly Guthrey,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In the area with cold plunging and a sauna, the walls undulate with patterns that change color, designed to evoke arctic caves and volcanic rock.—
Shelby Hartman,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This extensive network of limestone caverns and underground waterways carved by the Río Camuy will reopen to the public in 2026, after being closed due to Hurricane Maria and then closed again after Hurricane Fiona.—
Kathleen Rellihan,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
-
These caverns under sidewalks could be used for storage, and circular pieces of thick glass in the sidewalk added natural light to these eerie underground chambers.—
Jacques Kelly,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tunnels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tunnels. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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