tunnel
noun
tun·nel
| \ ˈtə-nᵊl
\
\
Definition of tunnel
(Entry 1 of 2)
tunnel
verb
tunneled
or tunnelled;
tunneling
or tunnelling\ ˈtən-liŋ
, ˈtə-nᵊl-iŋ \
, ˈtə-nᵊl-iŋ \
Definition of tunnel (Entry 2 of 2)
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
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Other Words from tunnel
Noun
tunnellike
\ ˈtə-nᵊl-ˌ(l)īk
\
adjective
\
adjective
Verb
tunneler
\ ˈtən-lər
, ˈtə-nᵊl-ər \
noun
, ˈtə-nᵊl-ər \
noun
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: Noun
After a pass interference penalty, Johnson found Baker on a 3-yard tunnel screen for a touchdown with 8 seconds remaining in the half and a 19-7 lead after the Jaguars missed a two-point conversion. — Creg Stephenson | [email protected], al, "South Alabama cranks up running game for 37-14 win over Jackson State," 8 Sep. 2019 As urban areas became more populated, tunnels were used to route trains under cities. — Kevin Leonard, baltimoresun.com, "The dream of electric trains has origins in Laurel," 6 Sep. 2019 Fact: Loss of the tunnel construction would cost thousands of union construction jobs. — Chris Ventura, Detroit Free Press, "Voters seek more information from state attorney general about Line 5 project," 3 Sep. 2019 Today, riot police were out en masse at highway tunnels and at ferry piers as protesters turned their attention again to the Hong Kong airport, a day after clashing with police near the government complex and police headquarters. — Ilaria Maria Sala, Quartz, "Hong Kong is having flashbacks to the bad old days of police corruption and mafia ties," 1 Sep. 2019 Footage of their intimidating tunnel at their Marakana stadium went viral before that clash. — SI.com, "Bayern, Olympiacos, Red Star: Everything You Need to Know About Spurs' Champions League Opponents," 1 Sep. 2019 People are freaking out because the government is looking for creepy underground manmade tunnels. — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "The Government Needs Your Help Finding Sketchy Underground Tunnels ASAP," 30 Aug. 2019 The project will include creek channel widening and deepening, a high water flow bypass tunnel and box culvert replacements, but no levees or flood walls, an omission Irvin praised. — Erin Woo, The Mercury News, "Santa Clara’s Llagas Creek flood control project was decades in the making," 28 Aug. 2019 An innovative tunnel concept wasn’t the project’s only selling point. — Rachel Swan, SFChronicle.com, "BART’s extension through San Jose chosen to receive $125 million federal grant," 28 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Anyone can, as A.B. did, crawl through the passageways surrounding the towering niches in the cliff, through winding staircases tunneled into the sandstone and up steps with risers double the height of modern ones, as if built for giants. — New York Times, "2 Giant Buddhas Survived 1,500 Years. Fragments, Graffiti and a Hologram Remain.," 18 June 2019 Instead of directly absorbing energy, electrons can also tunnel through barriers to get to the conduction band. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "Wireless nanowire lasers absorb infrared, emit blue light," 1 June 2019 Yet the magazine’s final moment of thumb-in-the-eye relevance—this May, when Donald Trump compared Pete Buttigieg to Alfred E. Neuman—emphasized just how deeply Mad has tunnelled its way into the culture, waiting to inspire anew. — Jordan Orlando, The New Yorker, "A World Without Mad Magazine," 25 July 2019 But the challenge of tunneling through these barriers increases as the roadblocks get taller, making it so that fewer particles can break through. — Rachel Crowell, Scientific American, "Quirky Quantum Tunneling Observed," 9 July 2019 Carpenter ants build their nests by tunneling in wet and rotting wood, and generally do not go into healthy wood. — Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Carpenter ants build nests in wet, rotting wood," 3 July 2019 There and in bouncing-droplet labs that soon sprang up at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and elsewhere, droplets were seen to tunnel through barriers and perform other acts previously thought to be uniquely quantum. — Quanta Magazine, "Famous Experiment Dooms Alternative to Quantum Weirdness," 11 Oct. 2018 El Chapo’’ Guzman has been sentenced to life behind bars in a U.S. prison, a humbling end for a drug lord notorious for his ability to kill, bribe or tunnel his way out of trouble. — Tom Hays, BostonGlobe.com, "Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman sentenced to life in prison," 17 July 2019 If the setup is just right — and if the universe cooperates — some of those particles will transform into mirror-image versions of themselves, allowing them to tunnel right through the wall. — NBC News, "Scientists are searching for a mirror universe. It could be sitting right in front of you.," 30 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tunnel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for tunnel
tunnel
noun
English Language Learners Definition of tunnel
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a passage that goes under the ground, through a hill, etc.
tunnel
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of tunnel (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make a tunnel
See the full definition for tunnel in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tunnel
noun
tun·nel
| \ ˈtə-nᵊl
\
\
Kids Definition of tunnel
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a passage under the ground
tunnel
verb
tunneled
or tunnelled;
tunneling
or tunnelling
Kids Definition of tunnel (Entry 2 of 2)