BORROW

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does borrow mean? 

• BORROW (verb)
  The verb BORROW has 2 senses:

1. get temporarily

2. take up and practice as one's own

  Familiarity information: BORROW used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BORROW (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they borrow    ... he / she / it borrows   
Past simple: borrowed   
Past participle: borrowed   
-ing form: borrowing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Get temporarily

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

May I borrow your lawn mower?

Hypernyms (to "borrow" is one way to...):

acquire; get (come into the possession of something concrete or abstract)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something from somebody

Antonym:

lend (give temporarily; let have for a limited time)

Derivation:

borrower (someone who receives something on the promise to return it or its equivalent)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Take up and practice as one's own

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

adopt; borrow; take over; take up

Hypernyms (to "borrow" is one way to...):

accept; have; take (receive willingly something given or offered)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something from somebody

 Context examples 

To borrow, of that branch of my family, the money to return to London, and to return at any sacrifice.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The cook borrowed a stone from Johansen and proceeded to sharpen the knife.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

We'll stop at Meg's, and borrow her white sunshade, and then you can have my dove-colored one.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

One sled he drove himself, drawn by dogs he had traded for or borrowed.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources and borrowed for that purpose 30,000 napoleons from the Bank of France.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

So he went up to a neighbouring hill, where a shepherd dwelt, and borrowed his old frock, and thus passed unknown into the town.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM) In the past 30 days, how often have you borrowed pain medication from someone else?

(COMM - Borrowed Medication From Others, NCI Thesaurus)

The fuller looked sadly and gravely at him; but finding that he still laughed, he bowed with much mock politeness and stalked onwards in his borrowed clothes.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Several others declared their sentiments to the same purpose, when my master proposed an expedient to the assembly, whereof he had indeed borrowed the hint from me.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

In the morning he borrowed ten cents from Maria.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)