loan
1 Americannoun
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the act of lending; a grant of the temporary use of something.
the loan of a book.
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something lent or furnished on condition of being returned, especially a sum of money lent at interest.
a $1000 loan at 10 percent interest.
verb (used with object)
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to make a loan of; lend.
Will you loan me your umbrella?
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to lend (money) at interest.
verb (used without object)
idioms
noun
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a country lane; secondary road.
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an uncultivated plot of farmland, usually used for milking cows.
noun
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the act of lending
the loan of a car
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property lent, esp money lent at interest for a period of time
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( as modifier )
loan holder
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the adoption by speakers of one language of a form current in another language
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short for loan word
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lent out; borrowed
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(esp of personnel) transferred from a regular post to a temporary one elsewhere
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verb
noun
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a lane
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a place where cows are milked
Usage
Sometimes mistakenly identified as an Americanism, loan1 as a verb meaning “to lend” has been used in English for nearly 800 years: Nearby villages loaned clothing and other supplies to the flood-ravaged town. The occasional objections to loan as a verb referring to things other than money, are comparatively recent. Loan is standard in all contexts but is perhaps most common in financial ones: The government has loaned money to farmers to purchase seed.
Other Word Forms
- loanable adjective
- loaner noun
- unloaned adjective
- unloaning adjective
Etymology
Origin of loan1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English noun lon(e), lan(e), Old English lān, from Old Norse lān; replacing its cognate, Old English lǣn “loan, grant,” cognate with Dutch leen “loan,” German Leh(e)n “fief”; lend
Origin of loan2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lane, lone, Old English lane, lane 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The firm recently said it was unloading loans to raise cash for investor payouts.
Her husband, Shashank Sane, offered to handle their living expenses while she focused on paying off her student loans.
Friday’s problems extended beyond tech, thanks to new worries about private credit and the possibility of loan defaults.
From Barron's
Market Financial Solutions offered developers and wealthy investors bridge loans on properties in London and elsewhere in the U.K., a specialty market that lets property purchasers act fast before arranging longer-term funding.
Investors ought to be wary of developments in the financial sector, with problem loans increasingly a concern that could trigger a “proper flush in risk assets” next month.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
