From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishburrowbur‧row1 /ˈbʌrəʊ $ ˈbɜːroʊ/ verb 1 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive]DIG to make a hole or passage in the ground SYN dig downburrow into/under/through etc Mother turtles burrow into the sand to lay their eggs.► see thesaurus at dig2 [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition]PRESS to press your body close to someone or under something because you want to get warm or feel safe SYN nestleburrow into/under/down etc The child stirred and burrowed deeper into the bed.burrow something into/against etc something She burrowed her head into his shoulder.3 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]LOOK FOR to search for something that is hidden in a container or under other things SYN rummageburrow in/into/through etc Helen burrowed in her bag for a handkerchief.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
burrow• The rabbits had burrowed a hole under the fence.• The gophers were busy burrowing holes.• Toads burrow into the earth to hide from their enemies.• It lays its eggs in your clothes while they are drying on the line and then they burrow into the skin.• But still they tell them, suggesting how deeply the stories have burrowed into their psyches.• Hundreds of parishioners were working with bare hands, shovels and harrows, extending the church by burrowing out a crypt.• Orange flames burrowed through the grass.• The small mammals alive at this time did not hibernate, but had insulating fur and could burrow underground.• One group have lost their legs altogether and taken to burrowing underground.• He threw everything out, clothes, shoes, old wellingtons, burrowing underneath all the mess like an overgrown mole.• The footing corals start to anchor down on the loose rocks, and the subterranean sponges burrow underneath.burrow into/under/through etc• And at the same time I burrowed into that fabric.• It tried to burrow into the earth.• Orange flames burrowed through the grass.• It lays its eggs in your clothes while they are drying on the line and then they burrow into the skin.• She closed her eyes and let her fingers burrow through the tissue paper until she felt the lace of the collar.• This results in a ball of cells, which then proceeds to burrow into the wall of the uterus.• Western spadefoot toads burrow into the wash bottom, emerging to produce another batch of mosquito larvae-eating tadpoles during the summer rains.burrow into/under/down etc• And at the same time I burrowed into that fabric.• It tried to burrow into the earth.• In burrowing down, the fish made a tube through the mud an inch or so across.• It lays its eggs in your clothes while they are drying on the line and then they burrow into the skin.• This results in a ball of cells, which then proceeds to burrow into the wall of the uterus.• Western spadefoot toads burrow into the wash bottom, emerging to produce another batch of mosquito larvae-eating tadpoles during the summer rains.• But still they tell them, suggesting how deeply the stories have burrowed into their psyches.burrow in/into/through etc• He was burrowing in a briefcase while he waited.• And at the same time I burrowed into that fabric.• It tried to burrow into the earth.• Orange flames burrowed through the grass.• It lays its eggs in your clothes while they are drying on the line and then they burrow into the skin.• This results in a ball of cells, which then proceeds to burrow into the wall of the uterus.• But still they tell them, suggesting how deeply the stories have burrowed into their psyches.burrowburrow2 noun [countable] HBAHOLEa passage in the ground made by an animal such as a rabbit or fox as a place to liveExamples from the Corpus
burrow• Underfoot, a soggy tiger-trap of a burrow roof gives in like brown sugar.• In 1951, some nesting burrows, occupied, were found on islets near Castle Roads.• From the parental burrow Leadville was so far away it was only half real.• During the day they retreat into shallow burrows a few centimetres below the ground.• They are largely nocturnal, spending their days either down the burrows or out at sea gliding on stiff wings.• You think it's bad here in the burrow?• Then it stays in the burrow alone, visited only at feeding times, for nearly two months.• The swallows dig their burrows here in the sand every year.Origin burrow2 (1200-1300) borough 