borrowed; borrowing; borrows
1
a
: to receive with the implied or expressed intention of returning the same or an equivalent
borrow a book from the library
borrowed a dollar
borrowing a cup of sugar from a neighbor
b
finance
: to borrow (money) with the intention of returning the same plus interest (see interest entry 1 sense 3a)
borrow money from the bank
2
a
: to appropriate for one's own use
borrow a metaphor from Shakespeare
3
mathematics
: to take (one) from a digit of the minuend in arithmetical subtraction in order to add as 10 to the digit holding the next lower place
4
: to adopt into one language from another
The English word "entrepreneur" was borrowed from French.
5
dialect
: lend
Borrow me your pencil.
: to borrow something
borrows heavily from Nietzsche
Examples of borrow in a Sentence
The twins often borrow each other's clothes.
I'm borrowing a friend's car for the weekend.
He borrowed the book from the library.
Will you see if we can borrow a cup of sugar from the neighbors?
She borrowed $20 from me.
The speech was peppered with phrases borrowed from Winston Churchill.
She borrowed the technique from local artisans.
Recent Examples on the Web
The concept borrows from Franco American journeys like the SS Île de France, which used to cross the Atlantic from Le Havre, France, to New York between 1927 and 1958.
—
Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 28 June 2025
However the fund, which had been struggling to pay claims prior to the pandemic, was soon exhausted, and the state borrowed about $20 billion from the federal government to keep benefits flowing.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 28 June 2025
But demand for Treasury bonds has remained surprisingly strong, giving investors confidence that foreign countries and investors will continue to support America’s debt, allowing the country to borrow unimpeded.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
The water authority has been raising rates substantially to cope with a financial crisis propelled by a fundamental problem: the water authority borrowed money to build and maintain a significantly larger water storage and delivery system than is now needed.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 28 June 2025
However the fund, which had been struggling to pay claims prior to the pandemic, was soon exhausted, and the state borrowed about $20 billion from the federal government to keep benefits flowing.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 28 June 2025
But demand for Treasury bonds has remained surprisingly strong, giving investors confidence that foreign countries and investors will continue to support America’s debt, allowing the country to borrow unimpeded.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 27 June 2025
The water authority has been raising rates substantially to cope with a financial crisis propelled by a fundamental problem: the water authority borrowed money to build and maintain a significantly larger water storage and delivery system than is now needed.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Cite this Entry
“Borrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borrow. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
borrow
verb
bor·row
ˈbär-ō 
ˈbȯr-
1
: to take or receive something with the promise or intention of returning it
2
: to take for one's own use something begun or thought up by another : adopt
borrow an idea
3
: to take 1 from the digit in a minuend and add it as 10 to the digit in the next lower place
Biographical Definition
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