lend
Americanverb (used with object)
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lends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lent,
past participle, past
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lending
present participle
-
to grant the use of (something) on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
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to give (money) on condition that it is returned and often that interest is paid for its temporary use.
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to give or contribute obligingly or helpfully.
to lend one's aid to a cause.
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to adapt (oneself or itself ) to something.
The building should lend itself to inexpensive remodeling.
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to furnish or impart.
Distance lends enchantment to the view.
verb (used without object)
-
lends,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lent,
past participle, past
-
lending
present participle
idioms
verb
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(tr) to permit the use of (something) with the expectation of return of the same or an equivalent
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to provide (money) temporarily, often at interest
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(intr) to provide loans, esp as a profession
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(tr) to impart or contribute (something, esp some abstract quality)
her presence lent beauty
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(tr) to provide, esp in order to assist or support
he lent his skill to the company
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to listen
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to possess the right characteristics or qualities for
the novel lends itself to serialization
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to give support, cooperation, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lendsimple
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lendssimple
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have lentperfect
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has lentperfect
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am lendingprogressive
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are lendingprogressive
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is lendingprogressive
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have been lendingperfect progressive
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has been lendingperfect progressive
Past
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lentsimple
-
had lentperfect
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was lendingprogressive
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were lendingprogressive
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had been lendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lend
First recorded before 900; from Middle English lenden, variant (originally past tense) of lenen, Old English lǣnan (cognate with Dutch lenen, German lehnen, Old Norse lāna ), derivative of lǣn loan; cognate with German Lehnen, Old Norse lān; see loan 1
Explanation
When you lend something, you loan it or let someone borrow it. You might, for example, lend your bike to your brother — if he promises to be careful with it. Libraries lend people books, and car rental companies lend people cars — in both cases, the item that's been borrowed is supposed to be returned eventually. Another way to lend is to "add a quality to," or "be suitable for." You could say that you think your hat lends you a mysterious quality, or that your trench coat lends itself to walking through a foggy city at dusk.
Vocabulary lists containing lend
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 17
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Unit 17, Lesson 4
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Give
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But Johnson believes lenders sometimes consider the creditworthiness of CoreWeave's customers, like Microsoft or Meta, more than the company's when they lend.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
The results lend support to a different possibility.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
“So if the capex broadly slows down related to AI, do we think—even though we don’t lend directly to that—that it would slow our loan growth? Yes, we do.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
On markets: Bond investors are starting to demand more to lend to AI-related companies.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
The Lord High Chancellor has said we can lend you some of the images he has already sent back.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
Your retirement money lends to a lender who lends to a company.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
“This one was so focused on the music itself, and I think that lends to maybe more organic posts.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
“We’re at the home stretch. We’re in the playoffs, and so I think that the more guys spend time with one another, it just lends itself to just more togetherness.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
"I think it lends itself well to horror when the technology is a bit frail, a bit outdated," said McKellan.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
It is the excess of snowball bushes that lends a semblance of green to every yard.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
El-Sayed supporters rubbed shoulders with left-leaning influencers and union activists, a group that lent El-Sayed their formidable campaign infrastructure to reach Michigan's large organized labor community.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
It included instructions to say she had lent Richardson her bank card on the day before and had not seen him again until late on the day of the crash.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Creditors typically engage with financial and legal advisers when they perceive a risk that the company they lent to might not be able to fully repay them on schedule.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
At one party, a neighbor of mine, a tattoo artist who had no tattoos of his own, generously lent me four tufted beanbags in a demure oatmeal color.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
The boat Anja lent them was, the men on the dock said, “the finest small ship we’ve seen this decade.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Manufacturing activity, an improved trade balance and robust lending should provide near-term support, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Novogratz buys his tickets from Andrew Murstein, 62, CEO of lending company Medallion Financial Corp and a season-ticket holder who sits second row.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
"There's so many people, from the timber company, to the tyre company, to a friend who makes our banners, to everyone else who has chipped in, lending us instruments, donating costumes," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
A makeshift storefront houses an “anarchist bookstore” with activities organized by Matthew James-Wilson, who operates the Heavy Manners lending library and gallery in Echo Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
A marble statuette stood in one comer, and rich rugs had been hung on the walls, lending their colors to the light in the room, softening the edges of everything.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
