burrow
noun
bur·row
| \ ˈbər-(ˌ)ō
; ˈbə-(ˌ)rō\
; ˈbə-(ˌ)rō\
Definition of burrow
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a hole or excavation in the ground made by an animal (such as a rabbit) for shelter and habitation
burrow
verb
burrowed;
burrowing;
burrows
Definition of burrow (Entry 2 of 2)
1
archaic
: to hide in or as if in a hole in the ground made by an animal for shelter and habitation : to hide in or as if in a burrow
was burrowed in his cave
2a
: to construct by tunneling
burrowed a dwelling
b
: to penetrate by means of a burrow
The tunnel burrows its way under the mountain.
1
: to conceal oneself in or as if in a burrow
2a
: to make a burrow
A fox had burrowed into the side of the hill.
b
: to progress by or as if by digging
burrowing through a pile of paperwork
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Examples of burrow in a Sentence
Noun
the chipmunk retreated to its burrow to have its babiesVerb
The rabbit burrowed into the side of the hill. The frogs burrow under the mud. The mole burrowed its way under the ground.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The community is down to 38 rat burrows from 400 since the Housing Authority and Public Works launched a special elimination program in 2017, Strong said. — Catherine Rentz, baltimoresun.com, "One Baltimore woman wanted recycle bins for her public housing community. She ended up getting much more.," 22 Aug. 2019 The Post’s Krakow reports that health department workers have been coating the prairie dog burrows with powdered insecticide. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Plague-Infected Prairie Dogs Cause Parks to Close Near Denver," 21 Aug. 2019 Those eggs hatch, fall to the ground and burrow beneath the surface to feed on plant roots while maturing. — Weldon B. Johnson, azcentral, "Cicadas are buzzing. Does that mean Arizona's monsoon storms are coming?," 18 July 2019 When prairie dogs construct burrows, for instance, selection pressures may begin to favor behaviors like burrow guarding to keep predators out. — Quanta Magazine, "Finding the Actions That Alter Evolution," 5 Jan. 2017 Last month, a Florida homeowner in Port St. Lucie shared a video which appeared to show land crabs crawling all over his porch after the critters were rained out of their burrows. — Fox News, "Florida woman captures hundreds of crabs scattering into streets during mating season," 8 Aug. 2019 The pythons who survived may have taken shelter in the burrows of gopher tortoises or armadillos. — Gena Steffens, Smithsonian, "The Snakes That Ate Florida," 11 July 2019 Over the next two years, his cameras photographed hundreds of birds, reptiles, and mammals entering and foraging outside of bilby burrows. — Annie Roth, National Geographic, "Meet the bilby, Australia's own 'Easter bunny'," 18 Apr. 2019 New York City’s $32 million effort to reduce its rat population includes reducing their food supply with impenetrable garbage cans and smoking them out of their burrows with dry ice. — Katie Honan, WSJ, "New City Rat Controls Put a Chill on Population Growth," 6 Apr. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Sometimes, the seeds latch onto a dog’s fur instead, burrowing deep enough to break skin. — Molly Korzenowski, Twin Cities, "A walk in tall grass could seriously injure your dogs — here’s how to protect them.," 3 Sep. 2019 Tuberculosis germs burrow deep into the lungs and barricade themselves inside clumps of dead cells. — New York Times, "Scientists Discover New Cure for the Deadliest Strain of Tuberculosis," 14 Aug. 2019 In places including Louisiana and Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, nutria have burrowed through levees, destroyed crops and transformed vast swaths of vibrant wetlands into mud flats and open water. — Los Angeles Times, "Swamp rats have invaded California. A Central Valley Democrat is declaring war," 7 Aug. 2019 Cossett burrowed into the dirt, using her rear feet like shovels, before finally depositing four eggs, all smooth, oval-shaped and blue-ish, in the nest. — Elise Takahama, The Seattle Times, "‘I love ’em to death’: Kennewick woman gives home to hundreds of neglected tortoises," 5 Aug. 2019 The drill burrows through the ice using jets of hot water, the equivalent of 40 car wash heaters firing 200 gallons per minute. — Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "UW-Madison scientists expand effort to solve mysteries of universe inside South Pole ice," 16 July 2019 With The Lighthouse, from the American director Robert Eggers (The Witch), Pattinson and co-star Willem DeFoe both burrow even further into the off-kilter. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "5 Under-the-Radar Cannes Films Critics Are Buzzing About," 23 May 2019 During this period, burrowing organisms and their would-be predators like trilobites began an evolutionary arms race that may have helped spur the explosion of new forms. — Joshua Sokol, Science | AAAS, "‘Millennium Falcon’ predator soared across ocean floor at dawn of animal life," 30 July 2019 Dear Lucille, Your friend should know that dachshunds were bred to scent and flush out burrowing animals, and no one should be mad, hold a grudge or punish a dog for this behavior. — Cathy Rosenthal, chicagotribune.com, "Pet World: Dogs have natural prey drive and shouldn’t be punished for it," 19 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'burrow.' 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 burrow
burrow
noun
English Language Learners Definition of burrow
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a hole or tunnel in the ground that an animal (such as a rabbit or fox) makes to live in or for safety
burrow
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of burrow (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make a hole or tunnel in the ground by digging
: to move or press under, through, or into something
See the full definition for burrow in the English Language Learners Dictionary
burrow
noun
bur·row
| \ ˈbər-ō
\
\
Kids Definition of burrow
(Entry 1 of 2)