warren
/ˈwɒrən/ (bre, ipa) · [wˈɔrən] /ˈwɔːrən/ (ame, ipa) · [wˈɔrən] /ˈwȯr-ən ˈwär-/ (ame, mw)
warren — noun
- warrensingular
- warrensplural
1. a place under the ground where rabbits live, made up of many connected tunnels a
a place under the ground where rabbits live, made up of many connected tunnels and holes that the animals have dug
The children found a rabbit warren hidden beneath the old oak tree's roots.
rabbit warren — typical collocation for the literal sense
Heavy rain flooded the warren, forcing the rabbits to dig new tunnels.
A fox waited near the entrance of the warren, hoping to catch an evening meal.
The farmer filled in the rabbit warren after it damaged the vegetable garden.
Park rangers mapped the warren's tunnels to study how rabbits raise their young.
文法句型
a warren
the warren
warren of [plural noun]
用法筆記
This sense is the original and most literal meaning. The phrase 'rabbit warren' is a common fixed expression even when the tunnels are not extensive.
常見錯誤
2. a building, area of a city, or set of passages where cramped spaces are arranged
a building, area of a city, or set of passages where cramped spaces are arranged in a disorienting way, making it hard to find your way through small rooms and narrow hallways
The old city market was a warren of narrow alleys lined with tiny shops.
warren of narrow alleys — typical noun-phrase pattern
Romi got lost in the warren of hallways connecting the hospital's five buildings.
The refugee camp had become a dusty warren of tents and makeshift shelters.
New employees often take weeks to learn the warren of cubicles in the office.
Beneath the castle lay a warren of secret passages used by the king's spies.
文法句型
a warren of [narrow streets / alleys / rooms / passages]
用法筆記
Always used with 'of' followed by a plural noun describing the parts of the maze-like place. Common in descriptive travel writing and fiction.
3. a group of wild rabbits that share the same underground system of tunnels and li
a group of wild rabbits that share the same underground system of tunnels and live together as a community
The entire warren emerged at dusk to feed on the fresh grass.
collective noun: 'the entire warren' treated as a group
Liang counted over twenty rabbits in the warren living near the riverbank.
Disease spread quickly through the warren because the burrows were so close together.
A single warren can contain thirty or more rabbits during the breeding season.
文法句型
the whole warren
the warren + singular verb
用法筆記
This sense refers to the rabbits themselves as a group, not the tunnels. Distinguish from sense 1 by checking whether the focus is on the place (tunnels) or the animals (the group).