BURROWS Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

burrows 1 of 2

noun

plural of burrow

as in nests

the shelter or resting place of a wild animal the chipmunk retreated to its burrow to have its babies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

burrows

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of burrow

as in claws

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

as in crouches

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of burrows

Noun

Their body temperature drops from about that of a human to as low as 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), not much warmer than their burrows in winter. — Brittany Peterson, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 As opposed to beavers that build dams and lodges, block streams and divert and channel water, these beavers dig underwater into the bank of the reservoir and access their burrows through underground tunnels. — Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026 Research suggests these insects, found in northeastern Illinois and other Midwestern states, require burrows created by Great Plains mudbugs and water flowing over the mineral dolomite, Garrison said. — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026 Around the dozens of containers that make Toolik the US’s largest research station in the Arctic, musk ox and caribou graze on dwarf birches and fragrant labrador tea, while Arctic ground squirrels pop out of their burrows to survey the tundra. — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026 In Florida, wild iguanas can live in burrows, culverts, drainage pipes and rock and debris piles found along canal banks or in vacant lots. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 24 July 2026 But then our son stumbles into the room and burrows between us, his warmth radiating right alongside my light. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026 Dwarf mongooses deposit more territorial scent markings when a rival is detected nearby, meanwhile meerkats tend to scent mark near burrows that intruders have scoped out. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 July 2026 Kisatchie National Forest was selected as the release site because of its abundant underground shelters, like tree stump holes and gopher burrows, appropriate for the Louisiana pine snake’s needs. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for burrows

Noun

Bald eagles are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, so killing, selling or otherwise harming eagles, their nests or eggs is strictly prohibited.

— Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
The organization highlighted careful monitoring, carried out with the farmers whose land the birds nested on, which allowed the nests to be fenced off from ground predators like foxes.

— Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of nests

Verb

The child folds over and crouches on the ground while the performance continues for several seconds.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026
Sometimes a less reliable dog will smell in this manner the hot body scent of venison as a trembling doe crouches close in the brush upwind.

— Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026

Definition of crouches

Verb

One of the most convincing ways Reid excavates Lestat’s inner world is through the music.

— Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
Badger excavates or exposes buried infrastructure through a highly pressurized water and vacuum system and uses about 20,000 gallons of water per day, officials have said.

— Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026

Definition of excavates

Verb

Funderburg squats 600 pounds and is all but assured of breaking Zion-Benton’s all-time record in the bench press, 405 pounds, which is held by Nelson.

— Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
The venue was a blockish and forbidding space called Magazine, which squats in a loop of the Thames, in southeast London.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

Definition of squats

Noun

Beyond distribution, the deal includes a co-production slate between ReelShort and Indonesian production houses, with resulting series set to appear on both platforms.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
ReelShort has struck a deal with Indonesian streaming platform Vidio to bring hundreds of microdramas to local audiences, as well as co-produce new short dramas with Indonesian production houses.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026