borrow
- 01 A2 Elementary
v.to take something from someone for a short time, planning to give it back.
v.to receive something from another party temporarily with the expectation of returning it.
Simple“I forgot my umbrella, so I had to borrow one from my colleague.”
In context“The student asked to borrow the reference text overnight, promising to return it before the library opened the following morning.”
UsageTakes the preposition 'from' for the source.
PitfallCan I borrow this book to you? Can I lend this book to you? / Can I borrow this book from you?Borrow means to take; lend means to give. You borrow 'from' someone.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
v.to take money from a bank and pay it back over time.
v.to obtain funds from a financial institution or lender under an agreement to repay the principal, usually with interest.
Simple“They had to borrow a lot of money to buy their first house.”
In context“Small businesses often need to borrow capital to manage cash flow during their first few years of operation.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to use an idea or style that someone else started.
v.to adopt or copy an idea, method, or stylistic element from another source.
Simple“The writer decided to borrow some ideas from old folk tales.”
In context“Modern architects frequently borrow elements from brutalist design to create a sense of permanence and strength in urban spaces.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
v.to take a word from one language and start using it in another.
v.to adopt a word or phrase from one language into another through linguistic contact.
Simple“English decided to borrow the word 'ballet' from French.”
In context“Linguists study how languages borrow terms for new technologies rather than inventing native equivalents.”
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
v.to take 'one' from a higher column in a subtraction problem.
v.to shift a unit from a higher-value column to a lower-value column during a subtraction calculation.
Simple“When you subtract 9 from 22, you need to borrow from the tens column.”
In context“Primary school students often struggle with the concept of borrowing when they first encounter multi-digit subtraction.”
Antonyms - 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to ask someone to stop what they are doing to help you for a moment.
v.to interrupt a person's current activity to request their assistance or a brief conversation.
Simple“Can I borrow you for a second to help me move this table?”
In context“The manager asked if she could borrow the lead developer for a quick consultation regarding the server migration.”
- 07 C2 Proficiency
n.in some computer languages, when one part of the code uses data owned by another part.
n.the temporary transfer of access to a value without transferring ownership, particularly in the Rust programming language.
Simple“The compiler rejected the code because of an invalid borrow.”
In context“Effective memory management in Rust requires a deep understanding of how the borrow checker validates references at compile time.”
borrow vs lend — Borrow is taking something from someone; lend is giving something to someone.
borrow vs loan — Borrow is to take something for a short time; loan is to give something for a short time.
borrow vs rent vs hire — Borrow is taking for free; rent is paying for long-term use; hire is paying for short-term use or labor.
borrow vs take — Borrow is to receive something temporarily with the intent to return it, while take is to remove something from a place or person.