borrowing

UK: /ˈbɒrəʊɪŋ/ US: /ˈbɑroʊɪŋ, ˈbɔr-/ ,(bor′ō ing, bôr′-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bor•row•ing /ˈbɑroʊɪŋ, ˈbɔr-/   n. 

1. the act of borrowing money:
   [uncountable] Government does too much borrowing and spending.
2. something borrowed, as a foreign word or phrase:
   [countable] In Swahili some days of the week are borrowings from Arabic.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bor•row•ing  (bor′ō ing, bôr′-), n. 

1. the act of one who borrows.
2. the process by which something, as a word or custom, is adopted or absorbed.
3. the result of such a process;
   something borrowed, as a foreign word or phrase or a custom.

• 1350–1400; Middle English; see borrow, -ing¹

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bor•row /ˈbɑroʊ, ˈbɔroʊ/   v. 

1. to obtain (something) with a promise to return it: [~ + object]
   Can I borrow a pencil?
   [no object]
   Consumers should avoid borrowing.
2. [~ + object] to take or adopt as one's own:
   English borrowed many words from French.
3. Mathematics (in subtraction) to take from one column (such as the tens column) and add to the next lower column (such as the ones or units column): [~ + object]
   24 minus 9. Let's see. Borrow one ten and add it to the four to get fourteen, then subtract nine from fourteen, that's five.
   [no object]
   Did you learn how to borrow yet in school?

bor•row•er, n. 

[countable] [Big borrowers won't get a tax break.]

Usage

Compare borrow and lend. One way to keep the meanings distinct is to think of borrow as "take,'' while lend is "give.'' So you can borrow something you don't have, and you can lend something you do have.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bor•row  (bor′ō, bôr′ō), v.t. 

1. to take or obtain with the promise to return the same or an equivalent:
   Our neighbor borrowed my lawn mower.
2. to use, appropriate, or introduce from another source or from a foreign source:
   to borrow an idea from the opposition; to borrow a word from French.
3. [Arith.] (in subtraction) to take from one denomination and add to the next lower.

v.i. 

4. to borrow something:
   Don't borrow unless you intend to repay.
5. [Naut.]
   • Naval Terms to sail close to the wind;
     luff.
   • Naval Terms to sail close to the shore.
6. Sport [Golf.] to putt on other than a direct line from the lie of the ball to the hole, to compensate for the incline or roll of the green.
7. Idioms borrow trouble, to do something that is unnecessary and may cause future harm or inconvenience.

• bef. 900; Middle English borowen, Old English borgian to borrow, lend, derivative of borg a pledge; akin to Dutch borg a pledge, borgen to charge, give credit, German Borg credit, borgen to take on credit

bor′row•a•ble, adj. 
bor′row•er, n. 
Synonyms

• 2. acquire, take, get; copy, pirate, plagiarize.

Bor•row  (bor′ō, bôr′ō), n. 

1. Biographical George, 1803–81, English traveler, writer, and student of languages, esp. Romany.

Bor•ro•vi•an  (bə rō′vē ən), adj., n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

borrow / ˈbɒrəʊ/ verb

1. to obtain or receive (something, such as money) on loan for temporary use, intending to give it, or something equivalent or identical, back to the lender
2. to adopt (ideas, words, etc) from another source; appropriate
3. to lend
4. to putt the ball uphill of the direct path to the hole

Etymology: Old English borgian; related to Old High German borgēn to take heed, give security

ˈborrower noun