loan shark
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of loan shark
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05
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.
"There is always some sort of control measure by the loan shark to get you to pay," he said.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
By charging fees that would make a loan shark blush.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 15, 2025
A clip of their shared cubicle scene — in which loan shark Kathy rags on Dreux’s low credit score — has captured more than 9.2 million views on Instagram since the film’s Jan. 17 release.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2025
Jillette’s latest novel, “Random,” is about a young man who inherits his father’s crushing debt to a loan shark and turns to dice — and other dangerous measures — to dig himself out.
From New York Times • Oct. 5, 2022
So she started loaning out money—a loan shark.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
Definitions 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.
