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 dramatic format seems borrowed from television, with multiple threads jumpily interweaved, to ward off impatience.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024
While one of them borrows their parents' car, Bendure bought his own.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 27 June 2024
The company claimed Lisa Marie borrowed $3.8 million and gave them a deed of trust encumbering Graceland as security prior to her 2023 death.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
Other steps include taking an additional job (15.3% of higher earners), borrowing more (10.2%) and taking money out of retirement savings early (14.3%).
—Matt Egan, CNN, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for borrow 
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 28 June 2024
While one of them borrows their parents' car, Bendure bought his own.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 27 June 2024
The company claimed Lisa Marie borrowed $3.8 million and gave them a deed of trust encumbering Graceland as security prior to her 2023 death.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 27 June 2024
Other steps include taking an additional job (15.3% of higher earners), borrowing more (10.2%) and taking money out of retirement savings early (14.3%).
—Matt Egan, CNN, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for borrow
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'borrow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near borrow
Cite this Entry
“Borrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borrow. Accessed 4 Jul. 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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