borrow

borrow — verb

1. to take another person's thing for a short time and later give it back.

1.verbtransitiveA2
Definition

to take another person's thing for a short time and later give it back.

Example

Can I borrow your blue umbrella until the rain stops after school?

borrow + object + until + time

Hana borrowed my bike for the market and returned it before dinner.

borrow + object + for + purpose

Common collocations
  • borrow a book
  • borrow a pen
  • borrow from the library
  • borrow for a day
Synonyms
  • use

    broader; it does not suggest the thing belongs to someone else

  • take out

    common for library books or similar items

Antonyms
  • lend

    to give something for a short time

  • return

    to give back what you borrowed

Grammar Patterns

borrow + noun + from + somebody

Usage Note

Object is a physical thing or item you plan to give back. The person or place you get it from usually follows 'from'. Distinguish from sense 2, which is specifically about money.

Common Mistakes

Can you borrow me your charger?
Can you lend me your charger?' OR 'Can I borrow your charger?
the borrower takes the item; the lender gives it.

2. to get money that you promise to return later, for example from family or a bank

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1
Definition

to get money that you promise to return later, for example from family or a bank.

Example

Noa borrowed money from her uncle to fix the shop roof.

borrow money from + lender

The company may borrow twenty million dollars for the new bridge.

borrow + amount of money

Common collocations
  • borrow money
  • borrow from the bank
  • borrow heavily
  • borrow to buy a house
Synonyms
  • take out a loan

    common full phrase for borrowing from a bank

  • finance

    more formal; often used for paying for something over time

Antonyms
  • repay

    to pay the money back

  • save

    to use your own money instead of borrowing

Grammar Patterns

borrow money from + lender

borrow from + lender

Usage Note

Object is usually money or an amount, and the lender may be named with 'from'. This sense is also common without a direct object when the money context is already clear. Distinguish from sense 1, where the borrowed thing is not money.

Common Mistakes

I borrowed a loan from the bank.
I borrowed money from the bank.' OR 'I took out a loan from the bank.
English usually borrows money, not 'a loan'.

3. to adopt a word, image, or idea first used somewhere else and use it in your own

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to adopt a word, image, or idea first used somewhere else and use it in your own language or work.

Example

In class, Mei borrowed the word 'karaoke' from Japanese.

borrow + word + from + language

The young director borrowed a chase scene from old detective films.

borrow + ideas from + source

Common collocations
  • borrow a word
  • borrow an idea
  • borrow from another language
  • borrow heavily from
Synonyms
  • adopt

    neutral and common for words, methods, or customs

  • draw on

    highlights using another source for inspiration

  • copy

    stronger and often negative; suggests little originality

Antonyms
  • invent

    to create something new rather than take it from elsewhere

  • coin

    used especially for making a new word or phrase

Grammar Patterns

borrow + noun + from + source

Usage Note

The object is usually a word, tune, style, or idea rather than a physical object. Unlike sense 1, nothing is literally returned; the meaning is about taking influence or material from a source.

Common Mistakes

The writer borrowed this idea and gave it back later.
The writer borrowed this idea from an older novel.
with ideas or words, 'borrow' means using material from another source, not returning it.

4. to take one unit from the column on the left in subtraction so you can work out

4.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to take one unit from the column on the left in subtraction so you can work out the smaller column.

Example

In 52 minus 38, borrow one ten from the tens column.

borrow + one + from + column

The teacher showed the class when to borrow one from the next column.

classroom explanation of subtraction

Common collocations
  • borrow one
  • borrow from the tens column
  • borrow from the next column
Synonyms
  • regroup

    common in some school maths books, especially in American English

Grammar Patterns

borrow + one + from + column

Usage Note

Common in school maths when teaching subtraction with columns. It often appears with 'from' plus the next column. Distinguish from the other senses: nobody lends anything here.

Common Mistakes

I borrowed the number to the next column.
I borrowed one from the next column.
in subtraction, English says you borrow from a column, not borrow a column.
Idioms

be (living) on borrowed time

idiom

To continue living or existing when death or failure was expected much earlier.

After the surgery, Grandpa knew he was living on borrowed time.

The old company survived only on borrowed time before it closed.

Word family

  • borrower
    nounB2
  • borrowed
    adjectiveB2
  • borrowing
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For verb/1, borrow means taking something for a short time with the plan to give it back. Lend is the opposite viewpoint: the owner lends, while the other person borrows. Rent usually involves paying money, so you rent a car or a room rather than simply borrow it from a friend. Loan can be a verb in formal English, especially for money or official equipment, but everyday speech usually prefers lend or borrow. Use is much broader and does not tell us who owns the thing. Compare: 'Can I borrow your pen for a minute?' but 'The shop rents bikes by the hour.'

lend ↗rent ↗loan ↗use ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • borrow money from
  • borrow from the library
  • borrow an idea from

Prepositions

  • borrow from

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Borrow comes from Old English borgian, a verb linked to the idea of a pledge or security. The early meaning was taking something on trust, and modern English kept that sense of using something for a time before giving it back.