borrowed; borrowing; borrows
1
a
: to receive with the implied or expressed intention of returning the same or an equivalent
borrow a book from the library
borrowed a dollar
borrowing a cup of sugar from a neighbor
b
finance
: to borrow (money) with the intention of returning the same plus interest (see interest entry 1 sense 3a)
borrow money from the bank
2
a
: to appropriate for one's own use
borrow a metaphor from Shakespeare
3
mathematics
: to take (one) from a digit of the minuend in arithmetical subtraction in order to add as 10 to the digit holding the next lower place
4
: to adopt into one language from another
The English word "entrepreneur" was borrowed from French.
5
dialect
: lend
Borrow me your pencil.
: to borrow something
borrows heavily from Nietzsche
Examples of borrow in a Sentence
The twins often borrow each other's clothes.
I'm borrowing a friend's car for the weekend.
He borrowed the book from the library.
Will you see if we can borrow a cup of sugar from the neighbors?
She borrowed $20 from me.
The speech was peppered with phrases borrowed from Winston Churchill.
She borrowed the technique from local artisans.
Recent Examples on the Web
Marc Anthony won’t be able to borrow sugar from neighbors David and Victoria Beckham anymore.
—
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
The name, borrowed from the post-apocalyptic movie series, immediately drew attention for its bold tone.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Dressing accordingly for the theme, Harry borrowed his friend Tom Hardy’s Mad Max costume while Meghan sported a camo tank with torn black shorts and fishnet stockings.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
The federal funds rate, which is set by the Federal Open Market Committee, is the interest rate at which banks borrow and lend to one another overnight.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
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Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
The name, borrowed from the post-apocalyptic movie series, immediately drew attention for its bold tone.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Dressing accordingly for the theme, Harry borrowed his friend Tom Hardy’s Mad Max costume while Meghan sported a camo tank with torn black shorts and fishnet stockings.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
The federal funds rate, which is set by the Federal Open Market Committee, is the interest rate at which banks borrow and lend to one another overnight.
—Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Cite this Entry
“Borrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/borrow. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
borrow
verb
bor·row
ˈbär-ō 
ˈbȯr-
1
: to take or receive something with the promise or intention of returning it
2
: to take for one's own use something begun or thought up by another : adopt
borrow an idea
3
: to take 1 from the digit in a minuend and add it as 10 to the digit in the next lower place
Biographical Definition
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