lend-lease

[lend-lees]

noun

the matériel and services supplied by the U.S. to its allies during World War II under an act of Congress (Lend-Lease Act) passed in 1941: such aid was to be repaid in kind after the war.

the two-way transfer of ideas, styles, etc.

verb (used with object), lend-leased, lend-leas·ing.

to supply (matériel or services) as authorized by the Lend-Lease Act.

Origin of lend-lease

First recorded in 1935–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for lend-lease act

lend-lease

noun

(during World War II) the system organized by the US in 1941 by which equipment and services were provided for countries fighting Germany

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012