Definition of LOAN

loan

Plural: loans

Noun

  • the temporary provision of money (usually at interest)
  • a word borrowed from another language; e.g. `blitz' is a German word borrowed into modern English
  • An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
  • A sum of money or other property that a natural or legal person borrows from another with the condition that it be returned or repaid over time or at a later date (sometimes with interest).
  • The contract and array of legal or ethical obligations surrounding a loan.
  • The permission to borrow any item.
  • An area of uncultivated ground near a village or farmhouse.

Verb

Verb Forms: loaned, loaning, loans

  • To give something to someone for a temporary period.
  • give temporarily; let have for a limited time
    • "loan me some money"
  • To lend (something) to (someone).

Examples

  • All loans from the library, whether books or audio material, must be returned within two weeks.
  • Because of the loan that John made to me, I was able to pay my tuition for the upcoming semester.
  • He got a loan of five thousand pounds.
  • He made a payment on his loan.
  • He offered to loan his opponent a vowel, but it was just a bluff.
  • Thank you for the loan of your lawn mower.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English lone, lane, from Old Norse lán, from Proto-Germanic *laihną, from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave (over)”).
Cognate with Icelandic lán, Swedish lån, Danish lån, German Lehen (“fief”), Dutch leen (“fief”), West Frisian lien, North Frisian leen (“fief; loan; office”), Scots lane, lain, len, Old English lǣn. More at lend.

Antonyms

borrow

Scrabble Score: 4

loan: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
loan: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
loan: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 6

loan: valid Words With Friends Word