Link Centre Dictionary

borrow

bor·row

UK/ˈbɒɹəʊ/ US/ˈbɒɹə/ common informal

verb

1.

get temporarily

  • “May I borrow your lawn mower?”
Antonyms
2.

take up and practice as one''s own

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English borwen, from Old English borgian (“to borrow, lend, pledge surety for”), from Proto-West Germanic *borgōn, from Proto-Germanic *burgōną (“to pledge, take care of”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- (“to take care”). Cognate with Dutch borgen (“to borrow, trust”), German borgen (“to borrow, lend”), Danish borge (“to vouch”). Related to Old English beorgan (“to save, preserve”). More at bury.

Phrases

  • borrow a leaf out of someone's book
  • borrow from Peter to pay Paul
  • borrow roll
  • borrow trouble
  • borrowed time
  • borrowing days

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.