What does "borrowed" mean?

1. (took and will return) took something from someone else with the promise to return it later. 2. (not original or owned) describes something that belongs to someone else or was taken from another source.

Is it correct to say "I borrowed a book to my friend."?

No — say "I lent a book to my friend.". You 'borrow' from someone, but you 'lend' to someone.

borrowed

v. · adj.

US //ˈbɑˌɹoʊd// UK //bˈɒɹəʊd// bor·rowed

1 took and will return (v.)
A2 Elementary

took something from someone else with the promise to return it later.

the past tense of 'borrow', indicating the completed act of taking something for temporary use.

Example

I borrowed a ladder from my neighbour to fix the roof.

Example

She borrowed several reference books from the university library to complete her research paper over the weekend.
- loaned
- took
- lent
- returned
Pitfall

I borrowed a book to my friend.

I lent a book to my friend.

You 'borrow' from someone, but you 'lend' to someone.
2 not original or owned (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

describes something that belongs to someone else or was taken from another source.

functioning as a participial adjective to describe an object or idea obtained from an external source.

Example

He was wearing a borrowed suit that was a bit too big for him.

Example

The essay was criticized for its reliance on borrowed ideas rather than original analysis of the primary text.
- loaned
- derivative
- original
- owned

Idioms2 entries