loan

¹ American  

[lohn] / loʊn /

noun

1. the act of lending; a grant of the temporary use of something.

   the loan of a book.

2. something lent or furnished on condition of being returned, especially a sum of money lent at interest.

   a $1000 loan at 10 percent interest.

3. loanword.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a loan of; lend.

   Will you loan me your umbrella?

2. to lend (money) at interest.

verb (used without object)

1. to make a loan or loans; lend.

idioms

1. on loan,

   1. borrowed for temporary use.

      How many books can I have on loan from the library at one time?

   2. temporarily provided or released by one's regular employer, superior, or owner for use by another.

      Our best actor is on loan to another movie studio for two films.

loan ² American  

[lohn] / loʊn /

Also loaning

noun

Scot.

1. a country lane; secondary road.

2. an uncultivated plot of farmland, usually used for milking cows.

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loan ¹ British  

/ ləʊn /

noun

1. the act of lending

   the loan of a car

2. 1. property lent, esp money lent at interest for a period of time

   2. ( as modifier )

      loan holder

3. the adoption by speakers of one language of a form current in another language

4. short for loan word

5. 1. lent out; borrowed

   2. (esp of personnel) transferred from a regular post to a temporary one elsewhere

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verb

1. to lend (something, esp money)

loan ² British  

/ ləʊn, ˈləʊnɪŋ /

noun

1. a lane

2. a place where cows are milked

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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

“It’s a regulated credit product, so there’s no debate about whether this is a loan,” said Ryan Metcalf, vice president of public affairs at Flex.

From MarketWatch

The emails released by the US Department of Justice also seem to suggest that Rowland's bank had made loans to Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who faced debt problems.

From BBC

First, the authors conducted a real-world experiment with a credit union where 300 actual loan applicants were divided into three groups.

From The Wall Street Journal

Delinquencies on Federal Housing Administration–insured loans surged 26% in the fourth quarter of 2025, leaving more than 1 million FHA mortgages past due by December.

From MarketWatch

As for upcoming economic data releases, investors will be on watch for new foreign direct investment data expected soon as well as the central bank’s announcement on the latest loan prime rate.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• allowance
• credit
• investment
• mortgage