1
a
: a covered passageway
specifically
: a horizontal passageway through or under an obstruction
b
: a subterranean gallery (as in a mine)
c
: burrow
tunneled or tunnelled; tunneling or tunnelling
ˈtən-liŋ,
ˈtə-nᵊl-iŋ
1
: to make or use a tunnel
2
physics
: to pass through a potential barrier
electrons tunneling through an insulator between semiconductors
: to make a tunnel or similar opening through or under
also
: to make (one's way) by or as if by making a tunnel
Examples of tunnel in a Sentence
Noun
The train goes through a tunnel in the mountain.
The moles dug tunnels in the yard.
Verb
Workers are tunneling through the hill.
Insects had tunneled into the tree.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dana Karni, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
The plunge forward hasn't come without controversy Back in September, construction halted service for LIRR riders due to an unspecified issue in the tunnel, a fear the MTA had when the project was initiated.
—Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
Julie Sharp, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
On New Year’s Day, the trip culminates with an excursion on the Jungfrau Railway, an iconic route that tunnels through the Eiger mountain and tops out at Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe at 11,332 feet in elevation.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tunnel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
But these videos and still images, which the forum says were filmed by Hamas, show part of the hostages’ time in the tunnels under Gaza.
—Dana Karni, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025
The plunge forward hasn't come without controversy Back in September, construction halted service for LIRR riders due to an unspecified issue in the tunnel, a fear the MTA had when the project was initiated.
—Elijah Westbrook, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
Verb
Nearly $30,000 of merchandise was stolen from a Woodland Hills sports memorabilia shop early Thursday morning after thieves tunneled their way in after breaking into a neighboring Mendocino Farms restaurant.
—Julie Sharp, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
On New Year’s Day, the trip culminates with an excursion on the Jungfrau Railway, an iconic route that tunnels through the Eiger mountain and tops out at Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe at 11,332 feet in elevation.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tunnel
Cite this Entry
“Tunnel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tunnel. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tunnel
2 of 2 verb
tunneled or tunnelled; tunneling or tunnelling
ˈtən-liŋ,
-ᵊl-iŋ
: to make a tunnel
Medical Definition
tunnel
noun
tun·nel
ˈtən-ᵊl
: a bodily channel see carpal tunnel
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