tunnel

TUN-uhl/ˈtʌn(ə)l/

Pluraltunnels

Verbtunnels

13 meanings of tunnel

Practice

1
nouncountable
A passage built below the ground or under water for people or vehicles to pass through.
Like a hollow straw you can travel through, but built under the ground.
The train sped through a long tunnel beneath the mountain.
We drove through the tunnel under the river to reach the city.
Similarunderpass, passage, subway
Note
2
nouncountable
A path cut through or under something that blocks the way.
Like making a hole straight through a thick wall so you can get to the other side.
They cut a tunnel through the snowbank to reach the front door.
The kids made a tunnel through the haystack and crawled inside.
Similarpassage, passageway, underpass
Note
3
verbintransitive
To dig a long hole through the ground or under something.
Like a worm digging its way through soft earth.
The prisoners tried to tunnel out of the camp at night.
Moles tunnel beneath the lawn all summer long.
Similardig, burrow, bore, excavate, mine
4
verbtransitive
To make a long hole through or under something.
Like an ant boring a path right through an apple.
Workers tunnel the riverbank to lay new water pipes.
The miners tunneled the hillside to reach the coal.
Similarburrow, dig, undermine
Note
5
nouncountable
A hole or passage in the ground dug by an animal.
Like a secret hallway a mouse digs to hide in.
The rabbit disappeared into its tunnel under the hedge.
We found a mole's tunnel running across the garden.
Similarburrow, hole
6
nounfigurativelycountable
Something shaped like a tunnel, with a long, narrow, hollow space.
Like the long hollow space inside a rolled-up poster.
The arching trees formed a green tunnel over the road.
The headlights cut a bright tunnel through the thick fog.
Similarcorridor, passage
7
nouncountable
A safe path that carries data through a network when the normal way is blocked or unsafe.
Like putting a letter inside a sealed envelope so no one can read it on the way.
The company set up a secure tunnel to protect its data online.
Workers used a safe tunnel to reach the office network from home.
Note
8
verbtransitive
To send data safely through a network by wrapping it inside another connection.
Like hiding a note inside another envelope so it can pass through unseen.
They tunnel their web traffic through a private server abroad.
The app can tunnel video so it reaches users behind a firewall.
Similarencapsulate, route
Note
9
verbintransitive
To pass straight through a barrier that should block it, as very tiny particles can.
Like a ball passing straight through a wall instead of bouncing off it.
Electrons can tunnel through a thin gap that should stop them.
Some particles tunnel across barriers that block larger objects.
Note
10
nouncountable
The open shaft in a chimney that lets smoke rise and escape.
Like a tall straw that lets smoke climb out of the house.
Soot had clogged the old tunnel above the fireplace.
Smoke rose up the tunnel and out the top of the chimney.
Similarflue
Note

Less common meanings

11
nouncountable
A tool with a wide top and a narrow tube, used to pour liquids into a bottle without spilling.
Like a cone that guides water neatly into a narrow bottle.
She poured the oil through a tunnel into the small jar.
He held the tunnel steady while filling the bottle.
Similarfunnel
Note
12
verbtransitive
To place a thin tube into a vein so it can stay in for a long time.
Like slipping a tube just under the skin so it stays put for a long time.
The nurse will tunnel the line under the skin to keep it in place.
Doctors tunneled the catheter into the large vein in his chest.
Note
13
nouncountable
A flat passage cut into a mine to reach the rock veins the miners want.
Like a straight hallway cut into a hill to reach the rooms inside.
The miners cut a long tunnel to reach the rich ore.
Carts ran along the tunnel deep inside the mine.
Similarcrosscut
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of tunnel apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From an Old French word for a cask or barrel, 'tonne', through forms meaning 'net' or 'small cask'. Its deeper origin is unknown.