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English Lexicon

Borrow

/ˈbɒr.əʊ/
verbCEFR A2 (Elementary)Top #850 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As verb
  1. 1

    To take and use something that belongs to someone else, with the intention of returning it.

    "May I borrow your umbrella for the afternoon?"
  2. 2

    To take money from a bank or financial institution with the agreement to pay it back, usually with interest.

    "They needed to borrow money from the bank to buy their first house."
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Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Originating from Old English 'borhian', meaning 'to pledge' or 'to give security', derived from the Proto-Germanic '*borgōną'. Historically, it evolved from the concept of providing a pledge or security for a loan to the modern general sense of taking something temporarily with the intention of returning it.

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