tunnel

tunnel — noun

1. a long hole dug underground, built so that people, vehicles, or trains can move

1.名詞B1
釋義

a long hole dug underground, built so that people, vehicles, or trains can move from one side of a hill, river, or other obstacle to the other

例句

The workers spent three years digging a tunnel through the mountain.

collocation: dig a tunnel

A new tunnel under the river will connect the two cities by train.

同義詞
  • passage

    a general word for any narrow way; not necessarily underground

  • underpass

    a short tunnel for pedestrians crossing under a road; smaller and more urban

  • subway

    in British English, an underground walkway for people; in American English, the metro train system

文法句型

dig/build/enter + a tunnel

through/under/beneath + the tunnel

用法筆記

This is the most common sense of tunnel. The object through which the tunnel passes is typically introduced by through or under (through the rock, under the river).

常見錯誤

❌The train went into the underpass.
✅The train went into the tunnel.
💡An underpass is a short passage under a road for pedestrians; a tunnel is a longer underground route for vehicles or trains.
❌They built a tunnel across the hill.
✅They built a tunnel through the hill.
💡Tunnels go through an obstacle (hill, mountain) or under it (river), not across.

2. the covered walkway that players use to go from the changing rooms to the field,

2.名詞B2
釋義

the covered walkway that players use to go from the changing rooms to the field, court, or pitch before a game

例句

The home team walked out of the tunnel to loud cheers from the crowd.

collocation: walk out of the tunnel

Christopher and the other captain waited at the tunnel entrance before the match.

collocation: tunnel entrance

同義詞
  • runway

    used in American sports (especially basketball) for the path from locker rooms to the court

文法句型

walk out of the tunnel

emerge from the tunnel

tunnel + onto + pitch/field

用法筆記

This sense is most common in British sports reporting. In American English, the same area may be called the runway or the locker room corridor.

常見錯誤

❌The players walked through the corridor to the pitch.
✅The players walked through the tunnel to the pitch.
💡In sports stadiums this walkway is specifically called a tunnel, not a corridor.

3. a hole or passage under the ground that an animal digs and lives in for shelter

3.名詞B1
釋義

a hole or passage under the ground that an animal digs and lives in for shelter or protection

例句

The rabbit disappeared into its tunnel when it heard the dog approaching.

collocation: disappear into its tunnel

Badgers dig complex tunnels with several rooms for sleeping and storing food.

同義詞
  • burrow

    a more specific word for a hole dug by a small animal for living in; interchangeable with tunnel in this sense

  • den

    focuses on the living space itself rather than the passage leading to it

文法句型

dig a tunnel

live in a tunnel

tunnel system

常見錯誤

❌The rabbit went into its cave.
✅The rabbit went into its tunnel.
💡A cave is a large natural opening in rock; a tunnel is a narrower burrow that an animal digs itself.

tunnel — verb