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
This is a separate program from PreCheck and borrows the fastpass idea from the amusement park world, allowing travelers to book their time slot in the security line.
—
Brittany Anas, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Musicians borrow from the antecedents of people who have created and struggled, and that’s just being fed into new genres and reinterpreted into new ways of listening and enjoying music.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
Councilmember Traci Park, who serves on the budget committee, voiced dismay at the idea of borrowing money to pay the bills.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
The precision and technique at Martiny’s in New York borrow heavily from the Japanese tradition.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for borrow 
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Brittany Anas, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Musicians borrow from the antecedents of people who have created and struggled, and that’s just being fed into new genres and reinterpreted into new ways of listening and enjoying music.
—Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
Councilmember Traci Park, who serves on the budget committee, voiced dismay at the idea of borrowing money to pay the bills.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024
The precision and technique at Martiny’s in New York borrow heavily from the Japanese tradition.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for borrow
Dictionary Entries Near borrow
Cite this Entry
“Borrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borrow. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.
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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