Definitions for borrow
ˈbɒr oʊ, ˈbɔr oʊbor·row

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. borrow(verb)

   get temporarily

   "May I borrow your lawn mower?"

2. adopt, borrow, take over, take up(verb)

   take up and practice as one's own

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Borrow(verb)

   to receive from another as a loan, with the implied or expressed intention of returning the identical article or its equivalent in kind; -- the opposite of lend

2. Borrow(verb)

   to take (one or more) from the next higher denomination in order to add it to the next lower; -- a term of subtraction when the figure of the subtrahend is larger than the corresponding one of the minuend

3. Borrow(verb)

   to copy or imitate; to adopt; as, to borrow the style, manner, or opinions of another

4. Borrow(verb)

   to feign or counterfeit

5. Borrow(verb)

   to receive; to take; to derive

6. Borrow(noun)

   something deposited as security; a pledge; a surety; a hostage

7. Borrow(noun)

   the act of borrowing

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Borrow

   bor′ō, v.t. to obtain on loan or trust: to adopt from a foreign source: to derive one's authority from another (with from, of).—p.adj. Borr′owed, taken on loan, counterfeit, assumed.—n. Borr′ower.—Borrowing days, the last three days of March (O.S.), supposed in Scotch folklore to have been borrowed by March from April, and to be especially stormy. [A.S. borgian—borg, borh, a pledge, security.]

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. BORROW

   v. t., to swap hot air for cold coin.

British National Corpus

1. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'borrow' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2002

2. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'borrow' in Verbs Frequency: #563

How to pronounce borrow?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say borrow in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of borrow in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of borrow in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of borrow in a Sentence

1. Ian Bezek:

   I’d normally just short the stock, but it is difficult to borrow.

2. Charles Farrar Browne:

   Let us all be happy and live within our means, even if we have to borrow the money to do it with.

3. Wendell Berry:

   We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. (Actually appearing as "a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children" in _The Unforeseen Wilderness: An Essay on Kentucky’s Red River Gorge_, published 1971)

4. Ihor Dusaniwsky:

   There is not much stock left to borrow and what is left is going out the door at premium levels with borrow rates of 45 percent to 75 percent fee today, there is virtually no stock left to borrow in SCTY which is reflected in the 100-percent-plus borrow cost of any scraps that have been traded today.

5. Brad Lamensdorf:

   Just because a stock looks expensive doesn't make it a great short. It's way too expensive to borrow.

Images & Illustrations of borrow

Popularity rank by frequency of use