How do you use the word "den" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "den": The world is a den of crazies. They're either in the shed or in the den.

Den Meaning

/ˈdɛn/

Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounA 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.

nounA squalid or wretched place; a haunt.

Sentence Examples

The world is a den of crazies.

They're either in the shed or in the den.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

lair

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

The bear emerged from its winter ____ when snow melted.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

The world is a ____ of crazies.

Word Origin & History

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”).

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"Lying in a den in Bombay With a slack jaw and not much to say" — 1980, Colin Hay, Ron Strykert, “Down Under”, performed by Men at Work:

"I have made several visits of late to the Den of Rubislaw" — 1806, Sir William Forbes, An Account of the Life and Writings of James Beattie, LL.D., including many of his Original Letters:

"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." — 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 203:

"“Denning” – behaviour around making dens – has changed and bears are swimming long distances, but, says Aars, there is still enough sea ice in the spring for the bears to hunt successfully." — 2023 August 30, Patrick Greenfield, “Why it may be time to stop using the polar bear as a symbol of the climate crisis”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

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