borrow
[verb]
Synonyms:
- take on loan, cadge, scrounge (informal), touch (someone) for (slang), use temporarily
- steal, adopt, copy, obtain, plagiarize, take, usurp

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

bor‧row S2 W3 /ˈbɒrəʊ $ ˈbɑːroʊ, ˈbɔː-/ verb [intransitive and transitive]
[Language: Old English; Origin: borgian]

1. to use something that belongs to someone else and that you must give back to them later ⇒ lend, loan:
Can I borrow your pen for a minute?
borrow something from somebody
You are allowed to borrow six books from the library at a time.
They borrowed heavily (=borrowed a lot of money) from the bank to start their new business.
► Do not confuse borrow and lend (=give someone permission to use something of yours): I borrowed his bike. | Can you lend me your pen?

2. to take or copy someone’s ideas, words etc and use them in your own work, language etc
borrow something from somebody/something
I borrowed my ideas from Eliot’s famous poem ‘The Waste Land’.
To borrow a phrase (=use what someone else has said), if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
borrow from
English has borrowed words from many languages.

3. borrow trouble American English informal to worry about something when it is not necessary
⇒ be living on borrowed time at live¹(17), ⇒ beg, borrow, or steal at beg(8)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

borrow
verb
I. money/things
ADV. heavily He borrowed heavily to set the company up.
PREP. from She borrowed £50 from her mother.
off (informal) I'll borrow some coffee off the neighbours.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

borrow
II. ideas, etc.
ADV. freely
PREP. from His designs borrow freely from the architecture of ancient Egypt.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

borrow
verb
BAD: I asked my friend to borrow me some money.
GOOD: I asked my friend to lend me some money.
BAD: He borrowed me some of his books.
GOOD: He lent me some of his books.
GOOD: I borrowed some of his books.

Usage Note:
When you borrow something (from someone), you are allowed to use it: 'Can I borrow one of your pencils?'
When you lend something (to someone), you let them use it: 'He asked me to lend him one of my pencils.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

borrow
ˈbɔrəu
See: live on borrowed time

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲