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
Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
For 85 nights, Sweat and Matt used the contraband to cut through the walls of their side-by-side cells and escape into a network of tunnels.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
The plant is host to an insect called the leaf miner which tunnels through foliage.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tunnel 
Noun
The Israeli military accuses Hamas fighters of using hospitals, and tunnels beneath them, as bases.
—Wafaa Shurafa and Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
For 85 nights, Sweat and Matt used the contraband to cut through the walls of their side-by-side cells and escape into a network of tunnels.
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
The idea is that this would create an extra layer of protection by tunneling one secure connection through another.
—Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
The plant is host to an insect called the leaf miner which tunnels through foliage.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tunnel
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tunnel.' 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 tunnel
Cite this Entry
“Tunnel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tunnel. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share