Borrow

Pronunciation: /ˈbɑroʊ/

Definitions of borrow

verb to take and use something that belongs to someone else with the intention of returning it

Example Sentences

A1 I borrow books from the library every week.

A2 Can I borrow your pen for a moment?

B1 She borrowed some money from her friend to buy a new phone.

B2 I borrowed my neighbor's lawnmower to mow my lawn.

C1 The company borrowed funds to expand their business operations.

C2 The government decided to borrow from foreign investors to finance the infrastructure project.

Examples of borrow in a Sentence

formal I had to borrow a book from the library for my research paper.

informal Can I borrow your pen for a minute?

slang I'll just borrow some cash from my friend and pay them back later.

figurative She tends to borrow ideas from other artists and make them her own.

Grammatical Forms of borrow

• past tense: borrowed
• plural: borrows
• comparative: more borrowed
• superlative: most borrowed
• present tense: borrows
• future tense: will borrow
• perfect tense: have borrowed
• continuous tense: is borrowing
• singular: borrows
• positive degree: borrow
• infinitive: to borrow
• gerund: borrowing
• participle: borrowed

Origin and Evolution of borrow

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'borrow' originated from the Old English word 'borgan' which meant to lend or borrow.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'borrow' shifted in meaning from both lending and borrowing to specifically referring to taking something temporarily with the intention of returning it.