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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Tunnel Definition, Usage & Key Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：underground passage (tunnel)

tunnel 🔊
/ˈtʌn(ə)l/
n./v.
A long, narrow passage that is built under the ground or through a hill, for people, cars, or trains to go through.
Tunnel illustration showing a train emerging from a dark underground passage into daylight.
underground passage 🔊
➕
/ˌʌndərˈɡraʊnd ˈpæsɪdʒ/
n./v.
A man-made, long, and narrow passage constructed beneath the ground or through an obstacle like a mountain, primarily for transportation purposes.
📁 Category：Transportation & Travel 🔖 Level：Elementary

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation
From French 'tonnel', meaning a small cask, due to the cylindrical shape.
💡 Mnemonic
Tunnel = A 'TONnel' feels like moving through a giant, hollow barrel underground.
📖 Example
The train sped through the dark tunnel and emerged into the sunlight on the other side of the mountain. 🔊 A train quickly moves through a dark, man-made underground passage and comes out into daylight.
🔗 Collocations
railway tunnel – An underground passage designed for trains to pass through.
road tunnel – A subterranean passage built for vehicular traffic.
pedestrian tunnel – An underground walkway for people to cross beneath a road or railway.
🔄 Synonyms
passage (n.) – A way, channel, or duct through, under, or along which something may pass.
conduit (n.) – A channel for conveying water or other fluid, or a tube or trough for protecting electric wiring.
subway (n.) – An underground urban railway or a pedestrian tunnel.
🚫 Antonyms
bridge (n.) – A structure built over a river, road, or valley to provide a way across.
overpass (n.) – A bridge that carries a road or railway over another.
viaduct (n.) – A long bridge-like structure carrying a road or railway across a valley or other low ground.
🌱 Derivatives
tunneler (n.) – A person or machine that digs tunnels.
tunneling (n.) – The process or activity of constructing a tunnel.
📖 Cultural Story
The word 'tunnel' originates from the Middle English 'tonel', borrowed from Old French 'tonnel' meaning 'cask'. This likely refers to the resemblance of a cylindrical tunnel to an inverted barrel.

Meaning 2：to dig a passage (tunnel)

tunnel 🔊
/ˈtʌn(ə)l/
n./v.
To dig or make a tunnel through something, like digging a long hole under the ground.
Tunnel construction scene with a worker operating a boring machine to excavate rock.
to dig a passage 🔊
➕
/tə dɪɡ ə ˈpæsɪdʒ/
n./v.
To excavate or create a long, hollow passage through a solid mass, typically underground or through an obstacle.
📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example
The engineers are planning to tunnel under the river to build the new subway line. 🔊 Engineers intend to excavate a passage beneath the river for a new train line.
🔗 Collocations
tunnel through – To dig a passage completely through a material or obstacle.
tunnel under – To excavate a passage beneath something.
tunnel into – To dig a passage entering the interior of something.
🔄 Synonyms
excavate (v.) – To make a hole or channel by digging; to remove earth carefully and systematically.
bore (v.) – To make a hole in something, especially with a revolving tool.
burrow (v.) – To dig a hole or tunnel, typically for habitation, like an animal.
🚫 Antonyms
fill (v.) – To make something full or to occupy a hole or space with material.
cover (v.) – To place something over or upon a surface, obscuring or protecting it.
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