borrow

A2 Topic:Money & Finance

Also spelled borry’d

US /ˈbɒɹə/ UK /ˈbɒɹəʊ/ See IPA manual

verb Freq #2312

Meanings

1

verb
To take something from someone for a short time, planning to give it back.

May I borrow your pen for a minute?
2

verb
To take money from a bank or person that you must pay back later.

They borrowed money from the bank to buy a house.
3

verb
To take and use an idea, word, or custom from someone or somewhere else.

English has borrowed many words from French.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

3 verb · to take and use an idea,... adopttake up

More creancedesumescunge

Opposites

buy carry lend return take

Word family

Forms borrowedborrowingborrows

Derived forms borrowabilityborrowableborrowdaleborroweeborrowerinborrownonborrowingoutborrowoverborrowpreborrowingreborrowunborrowing

Related forms borrower

Common collocations

borrow a book Verb + noun

Etymology

From Middle English borwen, borȝien, 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.

*bʰergʰ- Proto-Indo-European borwen Middle English borgian Old English *borgōn Proto-West Germanic *burgōną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Money & Finance Actions & Processes

# borrow

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** ˈbɒɹə
**IPA (UK):** ˈbɒɹəʊ
**Frequency rank:** 2312

## Meanings
1. To take something from someone for a short time, planning to give it back.
2. To take money from a bank or person that you must pay back later.
3. To take and use an idea, word, or custom from someone or somewhere else.

## Examples
- May I borrow your pen for a minute?
- They borrowed money from the bank to buy a house.
- English has borrowed many words from French.

## Synonyms
- creance
- desume
- scunge

## Antonyms
- buy
- carry
- lend
- return
- take

## Derived Forms
- borrowability
- borrowable
- borrowdale
- borrowee
- borrower
- inborrow
- nonborrowing
- outborrow
- overborrow
- preborrowing
- reborrow
- unborrowing

## Related Forms
- borrower

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *bʰergʰ-
- Root: borwen
- Root: borgian
- Root: *borgōn
- Root: *burgōną

## Etymology
From Middle English borwen, borȝien, 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.

## AI Etymology
Borrow comes from Middle English borwen, borȝien, 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.

## Topics
- Money & Finance
- Actions & Processes

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