English Reference
verb · adjective

borrowed

v. · adj.
US /ˈbɑˌɹoʊd/ UK /bˈɒɹəʊd/ bor·rowed

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

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

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

    Simple

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

    In context

    She borrowed several reference books from the university library to complete her research paper over the weekend.

    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. 02 B1 Intermediate

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

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

    Simple

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

    In context

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

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Frequent
Updated