lent

¹ American  

[lent] / lɛnt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of lend.

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Lent ² American  

[lent] / lɛnt /

noun

1. (in the Christian religion) an annual season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting 40 weekdays to Easter, observed by Roman Catholic, Anglican, and certain other churches.

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-lent ³ American  

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, variant of -ulent.

   pestilent.

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Lent ¹ British  

/ lɛnt /

noun

1. Christianity the period of forty weekdays lasting from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, observed as a time of penance and fasting commemorating Jesus' fasting in the wilderness

2. (modifier) falling within or associated with the season before Easter

   Lent observance

3. (plural) (at Cambridge University) Lent term boat races

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lent ² British  

/ lɛnt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of lend

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Lent Cultural  

1. In Christianity, a time of fasting and repentance in the spring, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending several weeks later on Easter.

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Usage

What is Lent? Lent is the season of fasting and penitence that precedes Easter in some branches of Christianity. It is commonly observed by abstaining from certain things.

Discover More

To “give something up for Lent” is to abandon a pleasurable habit as an act of devotion and self-discipline.

Other Word Forms

• post-Lent adjective
• unlent adjective
• well-lent adjective

Etymology

Origin of Lent

First recorded before 900; Middle English leynte, Old English læncte “spring, springtime, Lent,” literally, “lengthening (of daylight hours)”; cognate with Dutch lente(n), German Lenz “spring” (only English has the ecclesiastical sense); Lenten, long ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The design of the school, which already had separate areas for the youngest pupils, "lent itself really well to a pilot", added head teacher Jason Hicks.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

For years, private lenders lent money to software companies, counting that their steady stream of subscription income would let them easily pay back the loans.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Many of us can relate to the reader who said they lent all their savings “to a close friend without a written agreement, only to lose both the money and the relationship.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Recently, Streep lent her voice to blockbusters “Hoppers” and “Project Hail Mary.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

Joanna lent me her camera, and I took it to the reunion.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana