as in to adopt
to take for one's own use (something originated by another)
borrowed the basic plot from a book of tales, but put her personal stamp on the story
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Recent Examples of borrow
Each night presents a new way of dying (stabbings, exploding limbs, axes to the head), as Sandberg borrows from slasher movies, psychological horror, monster flicks and more.
—
Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
The vibe, to borrow the report’s own language, is one of mounting hesitation.
—Catherine Baab, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025
The French government required the country to borrow 30 million francs from French banks to make the first two payments, and Haiti soon defaulted.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
Women have been borrowing men’s tailoring as far back as Dietrich and Garbo and beyond.
—Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2025
The vibe, to borrow the report’s own language, is one of mounting hesitation.
—Catherine Baab, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025
The French government required the country to borrow 30 million francs from French banks to make the first two payments, and Haiti soon defaulted.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
Women have been borrowing men’s tailoring as far back as Dietrich and Garbo and beyond.
—Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for borrow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for borrow
Verb
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Advocates want more states to adopt basic guidelines with hopes more missing people will be found, volunteers will be better protected and bereft families won't fall victim to searchers-for-hire schemes.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
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Others, such as Musk supporter FCC Chair Brendan Carr, have been urging European allies to adopt Starlink over Chinese satellite technologies, which the State Department has started to echo.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
2 May 2025
Verb
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Ellie is closer than ever to finding Abby, closer than ever to avenging Joel’s death, closer than ever to embracing the dark turn her love for him has taken.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 May 2025
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Differentiating, the final pillar, is about embracing what makes humans unique.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Borrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/borrow. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
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