Advertisement
Advertisement
borrow
1[ bor-oh, bawr-oh ]
verb (used with object)
- to take or obtain with the promise to return the same or an equivalent:
Our neighbor borrowed my lawn mower.
- to use, appropriate, or introduce from another source or from a foreign source:
to borrow an idea from the opposition;
to borrow a word from French.
- Arithmetic. (in subtraction) to take from one denomination and add to the next lower.
verb (used without object)
- to borrow something:
Don't borrow unless you intend to repay.
- Nautical.
- to sail close to the wind; luff.
- to sail close to the shore.
- Golf. to putt on other than a direct line from the lie of the ball to the hole, to compensate for the incline or roll of the green.
Borrow
2[ bor-oh, bawr-oh ]
noun
- George, 1803–81, English traveler, writer, and student of languages, especially Romani.
borrow
1/ ˈbɒrəʊ /
verb
- to obtain or receive (something, such as money) on loan for temporary use, intending to give it, or something equivalent or identical, back to the lender
- to adopt (ideas, words, etc) from another source; appropriate
- not_standard.to lend
- golf to putt the ball uphill of the direct path to the hole
- intr golf (of a ball) to deviate from a straight path because of the slope of the ground
noun
- golf a deviation of a ball from a straight path because of the slope of the ground
a left borrow
- material dug from a borrow pit to provide fill at another
- living on borrowed time
- living an unexpected extension of life
- close to death
Borrow
2/ ˈbɒrəʊ /
noun
- BorrowGeorge (Henry)18031881MEnglishTRAVEL AND EXPLORATION: travellerWRITING: writer George ( Henry ). 1803–81, English traveller and writer. His best-known works are the semiautobiographical novels of Gypsy life and language, Lavengro (1851) and its sequel The Romany Rye (1857)
Usage
Derived Forms
- ˈborrower, noun
Other Word Forms
- borrow·a·ble adjective
- borrow·er noun
- non·borrowed adjective
- non·borrow·er noun
- over·borrow verb
- un·borrowed adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of borrow1
Word History and Origins
Origin of borrow1
Idioms and Phrases
- borrow trouble, to do something that is unnecessary and may cause future harm or inconvenience.
More idioms and phrases containing borrow
In addition to the idiom beginning with borrow , also see beg, borrow, or steal ; on borrowed time .Example Sentences
We borrow telescopes from the public library and look to the heavens.
The highest rating means a country can borrow at cheaper rates.
The government said in the 2024 Autumn Budget that it would seek to fund any pay rises above what departments have budgeted for not by raising taxes or more borrowing but by "productivity improvements".
President Trump is badgering the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, but even if the Fed gave in to the pressure, it wouldn’t necessarily lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers.
Lower bond ratings typically translate to higher interest rates, which will make it more expensive for the city to borrow money.
Advertisement
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse