1
: the lair of a wild usually predatory animal
2
a(1)
: a hollow or cavern used especially as a hideout
(2)
: a center of secret activity
b
: a small usually squalid dwelling
3
: a comfortable usually secluded room
4
: a subdivision of a Cub Scout pack made up of two or more boys
5
British
: a small structure built by children as a place to play, hide, or provide shelter
We roamed the fields and made dens in the hedges, dragging old logs and brushwood with scraps of canvas and rope to make shelters to hide in.—
Pat Smith
Pat Smith
denned; denning
: to live in or retire to a den
polar bears den in ice caves or snowdrifts
: to drive into a den
Denmark
Examples of den in a Sentence
Noun
The bears will spend most of the winter in their den.
The TV is in the den.
He spent most evenings in the den reading and smoking his pipe.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2024
Set it up in a dark den or gaming room for a dual cat toy and conversation piece, or use it in a bedroom as a nightlight.
—Medea Giordano, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
Mark Kreidler, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2024
Wet bars are often nooks in a living room, dining room, library, or den versus being separate rooms of their own, adds Leah O’Connell, principal designer at Leah O’Connell Design in San Anselmo, California.
—Rebecca Shinners, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for den 
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Noun
The couple had been gunned down in the den of their Beverly Hills home.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 9 Nov. 2024
Set it up in a dark den or gaming room for a dual cat toy and conversation piece, or use it in a bedroom as a nightlight.
—Medea Giordano, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
The house had 1,904 square feet and a two-car garage, and the layout was flipped, with the bedrooms on the ground floor and the open kitchen, family room, dining room and den upstairs.
—Mark Kreidler, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2024
Wet bars are often nooks in a living room, dining room, library, or den versus being separate rooms of their own, adds Leah O’Connell, principal designer at Leah O’Connell Design in San Anselmo, California.
—Rebecca Shinners, Architectural Digest, 16 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for den
Dictionary Entries Near den
Cite this Entry
“Den.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/den. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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