burrow
a hole or tunnel in the ground made by a rabbit, fox, or similar animal to live or hide in: Even in winter, chipmunks are active in their burrows and emerge on sunny days.
a place of retreat; shelter or refuge: His study is his burrow—we have to coax him out for every meal.
to make a hole or passage in, into, or under something: This small bird can survive cold Arctic nights by burrowing into the snow.
to lodge in an underground hole or tunnel: Many rodents burrow over the winter.
to hide: My cat likes to burrow under the rug and surprise me by jumping out as I walk past.Fleeing fame, he burrowed in a small town to focus on his family for a decade or so.
to proceed by or as if by digging: Buried under sediment, the clams can burrow up to the surface from a depth of 16 inches.Stray dogs burrowed through the piles of trash looking for scraps.
to penetrate deeply into something so as to investigate, exploit, or influence it, etc.: In her book on the brain, the writer burrows into the workings of an organ once deemed unknowable.These nasty computer viruses are adept at burrowing into your system.
to dig holes or passages into (a hill, mountainside, etc.): When earthworms burrow the soil, they aerate it and help plant roots to penetrate deeper.
to hide or shelter in a safe, snug space: The abandoned pup had burrowed itself in the straw of the barn out of pure fear.She burrowed the runt piglet in her coat till she had completed her chores in the barn.
to make by or as if by digging: We burrowed our way through the crowd.
burrow in,
to penetrate or dig into or under something: The beetle’s larvae burrow in and feed on the living tissues just beneath the tree’s bark.All my historical research was spurred by this confidence that I could burrow in and find answers.
to enter and become lodged or settled in a place: The enemy had taken over the town and burrowed in.He was just going to crash at my place for “a few days,” but he’s burrowed in.
(of a political appointee) to be hired as a permanent civil servant when the administration that made the appointment leaves power: He was the appointed director of the agency, and later burrowed in as a manager.
Origin of burrow
1Other words from burrow
- bur·row·er, noun
- un·bur·rowed, adjective
Words that may be confused with burrow
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use burrow in a sentence
The burrows were most likely dug by some kind of giant worm, the researchers conclude, because they lacked the hallmark pellets lining crustacean tunnels and had smoother lining than bivalve tunnels.
Giant worms may have burrowed into the ancient seafloor to ambush prey | Helen Thompson | January 22, 2021 | Science NewsThe burrows were about 2 meters long and 2 to 3 centimeters wide.
Giant worms may have burrowed into the ancient seafloor to ambush prey | Helen Thompson | January 22, 2021 | Science NewsThe range of nonmammals using the burrows is “incredible,” especially given the reptiles’ broad appetite, says Sophie Cross, an ecologist at Curtin University in Perth, Australia who was not involved with the research.
Monitor lizards’ huge burrow systems can shelter hundreds of small animals | Jake Buehler | January 19, 2021 | Science NewsWhat’s more, the nests were part of a warren consisting of dozens of twisting burrows, each made by a single monitor and arranged in the soil like dozens of fusilli noodles set vertically.
Monitor lizards’ huge burrow systems can shelter hundreds of small animals | Jake Buehler | January 19, 2021 | Science NewsSome animals are using the burrows for overwintering, Doody says.
Monitor lizards’ huge burrow systems can shelter hundreds of small animals | Jake Buehler | January 19, 2021 | Science News
But nevertheless, parents should be inspecting the nostrils of their young ones, searching for sugar residue and burrowing larvae.
Parents Panic Over Old Fake Smarties Snorting Craze | Lizzie Crocker | January 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLike Gervais, Merchant revels in burrowing into the most uncomfortable of situations and refusing to leave.
‘Breaking Bad’ Finale, ‘Homeland’ Premiere: How to Survive DVRmageddon | Jason Lynch | September 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTDylan Byers at Politico is smelling a traffic breakthrough by burrowing after MSNBC and Andrea Mitchell about Wawagate.
And after that Grandfather Mole couldn't resist burrowing in the loose earth now and then.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyOn the occasion referred to, some of our men, in their burrowing, threw out a considerable quantity of asbestos.
Asbestos | Robert H. JonesNot enough, perhaps, to start a stampede with—but enough to keep wise old hermits burrowing after it.
Cabin Fever | B. M. BowerThus it is that brave men carry their crosses, and smile with the fox burrowing in their vitals.
The Pocket R.L.S. | Robert Louis StevensonSome of the little claws were learning to hide themselves, burrowing down into the ash, lying in wait.
Second Variety | Philip Kindred Dick
British Dictionary definitions for burrow
/ (ˈbʌrəʊ) /
a hole or tunnel dug in the ground by a rabbit, fox, or other small animal, for habitation or shelter
a small snug place affording shelter or retreat
to dig (a burrow) in, through, or under (ground)
(intr often foll by through) to move through by or as by digging: to burrow through the forest
(intr) to hide or live in a burrow
(intr) to delve deeply: he burrowed into his pockets
to hide (oneself)
Origin of burrow
1Derived forms of burrow
- burrower, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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