William Burroughs wil·liam·bur·roughs uncommon noun 1. United States writer noted for his works portraying the life of drug addicts (1914-1997) SynonymsBurroughsWilliam BurroughsWilliam S. BurroughsWilliam Seward Burroughs Related words Broader terms writer WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.