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• lent
  lent

  verb

  simple past tense and past participle of lend.
• Lent
  Lent

  noun

  (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.
• -lent
  -lent

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

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); see origin at Lenten, long ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lent Lent

At the tail end of his career, Mandell lent his voice to several serialized podcast productions, including “Romeo and Juliet” in which he voiced Friar Laurence, “Anthem: Homunculus” and “A Voice From Darkness.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

Affiliated holdings can refer to money lent to connected companies or investments sold by them but backed by other borrowers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

“We probably wouldn’t have lent her if she were in our collection.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Marr had lent it to Noel Gallagher during early recording sessions for Oasis' album Definitely Maybe.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

“Craig lent him a shirt. You’re so nice, Craig.”

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

But a concerned relative persuaded her to join a campaign to give up alcohol during Khao Phansa, a three-month period of reflection observed by Buddhists akin to Christian Lent.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

His favourite treat, however, is the Simnel cake, a traditional fruitcake typically made with a layer of either marzipan or almond paste and associated with Lent.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

Fresh from a visit speaking to Oxford University students, she is currently arranging a Lent fundraiser.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026

Lent also is the time that Christians remember that the pain of Christ’s death leads to the hope that is Easter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

Sister kept me late in school, fixing things for Lent.

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple