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
Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2024
Reaching the observatory’s sphere requires a slow trip by cable car, which crawls at about 4 mph down a long, sloping tunnel carved into the granite.
—Eric Baculinao, NBC News, 31 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 
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Noun
In order to continue transporting over 20 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids daily, and in response to state and federal lawsuits, Enbridge has proposed building a tunnel for the section of the pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2024
Reaching the observatory’s sphere requires a slow trip by cable car, which crawls at about 4 mph down a long, sloping tunnel carved into the granite.
—Eric Baculinao, NBC News, 31 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
Dictionary Entries Near tunnel
Cite this Entry
“Tunnel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tunnel. Accessed 18 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
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