What does "den" mean?
A small cavern or hollow place in the side of a hill, or among rocks; especially, a cave used by a wild animal for shelter or concealment.
Den
/dɛn/ adv, name, noun, verb
adv, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small cavern or hollow place in the side of a hill, or among rocks; especially, a cave used by a wild animal for shelter or concealment.
- Grammar: den is listed as adv, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: hideout, lair, adytum, ashram.
- Useful contrasts: exposed area, legitimate space, open ground.
- Usage evidence: They're either in the shed or in the den.
How to use "den"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "den" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "den" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "den" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "den" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "den" is acting as adv, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "hideout" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "den", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small cavern or hollow place in the side of a hill, or among rocks; especially, a cave used by a wild animal for shelter or concealment.
"a den of robbers"
- 2 Abbreviation of denier (a unit of weight). abbreviation, alt-of
- 3 Alternative form of dene. Northumbria, alt-of, alternative
- 4 a room that is comfortable and secluded wordnet
- 5 A squalid or wretched place; a haunt.
"a den of vice"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a unit of 8 to 10 cub scouts wordnet
- 7 A comfortable room not used for formal entertaining.
"Near-synonyms: family room, sunroom, Florida room, Arizona room, rec room, playroom"
- 8 a hiding place; usually a remote place used by outlaws wordnet
- 9 Synonym of fort (“structure improvised from furniture, etc. for playing games.”).
"Our little girls love using bedsheets and other stuff around the house to make dens in the living room and pretending they're on adventures."
- 10 the habitation of wild animals wordnet
- 11 A narrow glen; a ravine; a dell. Scotland, UK, obsolete
"I have made several visits of late to the Den of Rubislaw"
- 12 A group of Cub Scouts of the same age who work on projects together.
Verb
- 1 To ensconce or hide oneself in (or as in) a den. reflexive
- 2 Of an animal, to use as a den; to take up residence in. intransitive
"Although present in virtually all habitats, it preferred to den in caves, so its distribution, especially in cold, northern areas, may have been limited to limestone and other rocky regions where caves form."
Adverb
- 1 Pronunciation spelling of then, representing AAVE, Bermuda English. alt-of, not-comparable, pronunciation-spelling
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the male given name Dennis.
- 2 Abbreviation of Denver. abbreviation, alt-of
Antonyms
exposed arealegitimate spaceopen groundpublic room
Example
"They're either in the shed or in the den."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "den"?
Common synonyms include: hideout, lair, adytum, ashram, asylum, babylon.
How do you use "den" in a sentence?
They're either in the shed or in the den.
How do you pronounce "den"?
Pronounced /dɛn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English den, from Old English denn (“den, lair (of a beast), cave; a swine-pasture, a woodland pasture for swine”), from Proto-West Germanic *dani (“threshing-floor, barn-floor”). Cognate with Scots den (“den, lair”), Middle Dutch denne (“burrow, den, cave, attic”), Dutch den (“ship's deck, threshing-floor, mountain floor”), Middle Low German denne, danne (“threshing-floor, small dale”), German Tenne (“threshing-floor, barn for threshing”).
Etymology 2
From Old French denier, from Latin denarius.
Etymology 3
Shortening.