lien

¹ American  

[leen, lee-uhn] / lin, ˈli ən /

noun

1. Law. the legal claim of one person upon the property of another person to secure the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of an obligation.

---

lien ² American  

[lahy-uhn, -en] / ˈlaɪ ən, -ɛn /

noun

Anatomy.

1. the spleen.

---

lien British  

/ ˈliːən, liːn /

noun

1. law a right to retain possession of another's property pending discharge of a debt

---

lien Cultural  

1. A claim or right given to a creditor to secure payment of a debt, usually by sale of the debtor's property.

---

Other Word Forms

• lienable
  adjective
• lienal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of lien¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin ligāmen “tie, bandage,” from ligā(re) “to tie” + -men, noun suffix of result; cf. ligament ( def. )

Origin of lien²

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin liēn; see also spleen

Explanation

A lien is a claim against the property of someone who owes money. It's pronounced like "lean," which might also describe your meager finances if a lien has been placed on your home. When someone doesn't make payments on a loan, the bank may put a lien on that person's property, claiming ownership of that property until the overdue payment is received. The word lien derives from the Latin ligāre, which means "to bind," and you can see that "binding," or tying up a person's property, really does put the owner in a "bind."

Example Sentences

Don’t miss: A relative offered me a $25,000 home loan secured by a lien that must be repaid within a year.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

Not only does it create a lien against your home, but your relative could potentially foreclose on the property.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 22, 2026

If they aren’t paid by the contractor, subcontractors have the right to file a lien, or legal claim against your home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

First lien loan spreads decreased from nearly 6% in 2023 to 5% by 2025, with average yields dropping from 12% to below 10%.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

He would have you believe that his title deeds are in a lawyer's office in perpetuity as security for loans, while the local grocer invariably has a lien over his crops.

From The Awful Australian by Desmond, Valerie