Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

burrow

[bur-oh, buhr-oh]

Example Sentences Origin

noun

a hole or tunnel in the ground made by a rabbit, fox, or similar animal for habitation and refuge.

a place of retreat; shelter or refuge.

verb (used without object)

to make a hole or passage in, into, or under something.

to lodge in a burrow.

to hide.

to proceed by or as if by digging.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Burrow is one of our favorite verbs.

So is skedaddle. Does it mean:

to spend time idly; loaf.

to run away hurriedly; flee.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

verb (used with object)

to put a burrow into (a hill, mountainside, etc.).

to hide (oneself), as in a burrow.

to make by or as if by burrowing: We burrowed our way through the crowd.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English borow, earlier burh, apparently gradational variant of late Middle English beri burrow, variant of earlier berg refuge, Old English gebeorg, derivative of beorgan to protect; akin to Old English burgen grave, i.e., place of protection for a body; see bury

Related forms

bur·row·er, noun

un·bur·rowed, adjective

Can be confused: borough, burro, burrow.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To burrow

Example Sentences

With the official arrival of winter comes the human urge to burrow.

Give him a word, and he would burrow joyously into its etymology.

For about six weeks after birth, mothers do not allow entry into the nursery burrow.

EXPAND

With the official arrival of winter comes the human urge to burrow.

Give him a word, and he would burrow joyously into its etymology.

For about six weeks after birth, mothers do not allow entry into the nursery burrow.

The more they slipped, the farther from their burrow they stopped.

The clam uses a tiny foot to burrow into the seafloor as it grows.

They often lay eggs on the backs of the caterpillars, and when the eggs hatch, they burrow into their hosts and eat them alive.

Each time they venture out from the safety of their burrow their lives are under constant threat from predators.

The woman in red and the woman in gray wait, watch and burrow ever deeper into each other's thoughts.

These segments are covered in setae, or small bristles, which the worm uses to move and burrow.

Humans develop river blindness from the bite of the blackfly, which deposits parasitic worms that burrow into the skin.

Wooden stakes mark several mounds, and many of the burrow openings are masked by chicken wire.

They don't have the right to burrow into the users' hard drives to verify the material is infringing.

Some cells burrow into old bone so that new bone can be laid down in their wake.

Nearby, another rodent called a tuco-tuco nibbles through roots as it excavates its burrow.

Nor can giants do a lot of things that smaller creatures can do, such as burrow into the ground, climb trees or fly.

Acorn worms, which burrow in sand, sediment and mud.

They burrow beneath yards and roadways by the hundreds of thousands, sometimes causing streets to collapse in their wake.

When the nymphs hatch, they burrow down to the roots.

The southern hairy-nosed wombat hides beneath the surface in an elaborate burrow.

Meerkat pups start to play as soon as they can totter about the burrow.

She explained how they live and burrow in the muddy sea floor.

Burrow through cities worldwide with these detailed and easy-to-read subway maps.

The size of a male crab's burrow helps determine when the female's larvae will hatch.

Pentastomes use their hooks to burrow from the stomach to the lungs.

No crab has ever been attacked by a truck when standing outside its burrow.

Once caterpillars hatch from moth eggs, they burrow into the soil and are invaded by fungi.

Special infrared cameras were trained on each burrow opening.

Echidnas are insect-eating burrow dwellers that, unlike other mammals, lay eggs.

Though the snakes are removed, the damage to the burrow and its other inhabitants remains.

Some animals migrate to warmer climes for the winter and others burrow deep underground to sleep until spring.

Five stared, barked at us, and disappeared into the burrow.

Smaller animals such as mice and shrews are able to burrow in the warm, dry soil of a savanna.

Several varieties of clams burrow into the sand, silt and mud of the bays and estuaries.

For a full view of the twists and turns you've taken, check out the burrow map.

The cost to burrow down is dropping, while the price.

The ants' particular enemy is a lizard that builds its burrow near their nest holes.

The tiny coquina clams burrow into the sand as the tide washes them ashore during the summer months.

They lay eggs on various insects and caterp illars, and the larvae burrow into their hosts' bodies, killing them.

Others reside on rocky hillsides or burrow beneath desert scrub.

Because the insects are picky about their burrow sites, preferring well-drained soils and somewhat dry.

He felt the sting of the sea burrow deep in his lungs.

Once she's created a burrow for her eggs, a female flapneck hits the road again, never to return.

For example, the enemy faces will often burrow into your surroundings, sending chunks of the room toward you.

They have no brain, but clams burrow deep in the mud to avoid predators such as the cow-nosed ray.

The deep shaft mines burrow straight down to where the largest seams of coal were formed, far beneath the surface.

They seed the fields with crawfish during rice season, and the creatures burrow down into the mud and lay eggs.

It makes its home in a burrow near the water's edge, and can thrive in river, lake.

The spider darts out of its burrow and attacks the twig.

Lichens burrow circular holes in the marble, a phenomenon known as honeycomb.

The topography was thought to deter a prisoner's inclination to try to burrow to freedom.

Moon snails were often hard to find because they burrow deeply, feeding on.

Gaining the ability to walk and burrow opened up new food opportunities for the mammals, she added.

The caterpillars eat the leaves of plants, and then the moths burrow into fruit, causing it to rot.

Experience the life of a prairie dog in our virtual burrow.

His father forced him into a burrow inhabited by a gbagok.

Another theory is that the dinosaur was in a cave or burrow and covered instantly in a thick.

Bedding keeps the worms moist and gives them a place to burrow.

The ideal riverbank is crumbly enough for the birds to excavate a nesting burrow with their beaks.

Crocodiles burrow into riverbanks to escape harsh conditions, such as hot, dry weather-or civil war.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

burrow (ˈbʌrəʊ)

—n
1.	a hole or tunnel dug in the ground by a rabbit, fox, or other small animal, for habitation or shelter
2.	a small snug place affording shelter or retreat

—vb (often foll by through)
3.	to dig (a burrow) in, through, or under (ground)
4.	to move through by or as by digging: to burrow through the forest
5.	(intr) to hide or live in a burrow
6.	(intr) to delve deeply: he burrowed into his pockets
7.	to hide (oneself)

[C13: probably a variant of borough]

'burrower

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

burrow

"rabbit-hole, fox-hole, etc.," c.1300, borewe, from O.E. burgh "stronghold, fortress" (see borough); influenced by bergh "hill," and berwen "to defend, take refuge." The verb is first attested 1614. Related: Burrowed; borrowing.

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for burrow?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

China syndrome clam-flat coterie earthworm ground hole

Matching Quote

"A rabbit never eats the grass beside its burrow."

-unknown author

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help