What does burrow mean?
A burrow is a hole or network of tunnels dug into the ground by an animal — a rabbit, fox, badger, or prairie dog — to provide shelter, safety, and a place to raise young. As a verb, 'to burrow' means to dig such a passage, but it extends naturally to figurative uses: people burrow under blankets on cold mornings, and journalists burrow through archives in search of a story. The word carries connotations of retreat, concealment, and cozy seclusion when applied to people, while in zoology it is neutral and descriptive. Related terms include 'warren,' a complex of rabbit burrows, and 'den' or 'lair' for other animals' shelters. Its everyday usefulness lies in this flexibility: it describes literal excavation, physical nestling, and diligent investigation with equal ease, making it a vivid alternative to plainer verbs like 'dig' or 'search.'
A hole or tunnel dug by an animal, especially a small mammal such as a rabbit or fox, used as a dwelling or refuge.
"The badger's burrow had several entrances hidden beneath the hedgerow."
For rabbits collectively, the term 'warren' refers to a whole colony of interconnected burrows.
To dig a hole or tunnel into or beneath something; also, to press or nestle deeply into something, or to search thoroughly.
"Moles can burrow several feet in a single night."
Standard regular plural. Often used in ecological writing to describe multiple dens or a colony's tunnel system.
"The hillside was riddled with hundreds of abandoned burrows."
The words 'burrow' and 'borough' are close cousins — one means a rabbit's home, the other means a town, and both trace back to an ancient idea of a fortified place.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of burrow
The word 'burrow' comes from Middle English 'borow', which originally referred to a fortified place or stronghold, and ultimately derives from Old English 'burg' or 'beorh', meaning hill or fortification. It shares a Germanic root with 'borough' and 'borrow'. By the late Middle English period the sense had narrowed from any sheltering place to specifically the hole of a wild animal.
Related word forms
How burrow is actually used
The noun is common in natural-history writing. The verb is often used figuratively for nestling physically into something soft or metaphorically for searching intensively; 'burrow down' and 'burrow into' are frequent phrasal patterns.
Easily confused with burrow
A borough is an administrative district or town (as in New York City boroughs), while a burrow is a hole or tunnel dug by an animal.
A furrow is a long, narrow groove made in the ground by a plow or in skin by age, whereas a burrow is a tunnel dug by an animal for habitation.