1
a
: a covered passageway
specifically
: a horizontal passageway through or under an obstruction
b
: a subterranean gallery (as in a mine)
c
: burrow
tunneled or tunnelled; tunneling or tunnelling
ˈtən-liŋ,
ˈtə-nᵊl-iŋ
1
: to make or use a tunnel
2
physics
: to pass through a potential barrier
electrons tunneling through an insulator between semiconductors
: to make a tunnel or similar opening through or under
also
: to make (one's way) by or as if by making a tunnel
Examples of tunnel in a Sentence
Noun
The train goes through a tunnel in the mountain.
The moles dug tunnels in the yard.
Verb
Workers are tunneling through the hill.
Insects had tunneled into the tree.
Recent Examples on the Web
Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
His comments were made to the Baylor men’s basketball team, which was also in the tunnel, preparing to take the court for its second-round matchup with Duke.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025
From the rat's gastrointestinal tract, the larvae tunnel their way to the animal's brain, where the larvae incubate and go through L4 and L5 stages to become young-adult worms.
—Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tunnel
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Noun
Conservationists responded with engineering, building snow fences to steer snakes toward a network of six-inch tunnels under the highway.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
His comments were made to the Baylor men’s basketball team, which was also in the tunnel, preparing to take the court for its second-round matchup with Duke.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
Traffic on the bridge and tunnel crossings into Midtown and lower Manhattan are traveling at speeds up to 30% faster than last year.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 21 Mar. 2025
From the rat's gastrointestinal tract, the larvae tunnel their way to the animal's brain, where the larvae incubate and go through L4 and L5 stages to become young-adult worms.
—Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tunnel
Cite this Entry
“Tunnel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tunnel. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tunnel
2 of 2 verb
tunneled or tunnelled; tunneling or tunnelling
ˈtən-liŋ,
-ᵊl-iŋ
: to make a tunnel
Medical Definition
tunnel
noun
tun·nel
ˈtən-ᵊl
: a bodily channel see carpal tunnel
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