/ den; NAmE / noun
1.
the hidden home of some types of wild animal :
a bear's / lion's den
2.
( disapproving ) a place where people meet in secret, especially for some illegal or immoral activity :
a den of thieves
a drinking / gambling den
He thought of New York as a den of iniquity .
3.
( NAmE ) a room in a house where people go to relax, watch television, etc.
4.
( old-fashioned , BrE , informal ) a room in a house where a person can work or study without being disturbed :
He would often retire to his den.
5.
a secret place, often made roughly with walls and a roof, where children play :
They made themselves a den in the woods.
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IDIOMS
see beard verb , lion
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English denn , of Germanic origin; related to German Tenne threshing floor, also to dene vale .