loan
1 Americannoun
-
the act of lending; a grant of the temporary use of something.
the loan of a book.
-
something lent or furnished on condition of being returned, especially a sum of money lent at interest.
a $1000 loan at 10 percent interest.
verb (used with object)
-
loans,
present (3rd person singular)
-
loaned,
past participle, past
-
loaning
present participle
-
to make a loan of; lend.
Will you loan me your umbrella?
-
to lend (money) at interest.
verb (used without object)
-
loans,
present (3rd person singular)
-
loaned,
past participle, past
-
loaning
present participle
idioms
noun
-
a country lane; secondary road.
-
an uncultivated plot of farmland, usually used for milking cows.
noun
-
the act of lending
the loan of a car
-
-
property lent, esp money lent at interest for a period of time
-
( as modifier )
loan holder
-
-
the adoption by speakers of one language of a form current in another language
-
short for loan word
-
-
lent out; borrowed
-
(esp of personnel) transferred from a regular post to a temporary one elsewhere
-
verb
noun
-
a lane
-
a place where cows are milked
Usage
Sometimes mistakenly identified as an Americanism, loan1 as a verb meaning “to lend” has been used in English for nearly 800 years: Nearby villages loaned clothing and other supplies to the flood-ravaged town. The occasional objections to loan as a verb referring to things other than money, are comparatively recent. Loan is standard in all contexts but is perhaps most common in financial ones: The government has loaned money to farmers to purchase seed.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
loansimple
-
loanssimple
-
have loanedperfect
-
has loanedperfect
-
am loaningprogressive
-
are loaningprogressive
-
is loaningprogressive
-
have been loaningperfect progressive
-
has been loaningperfect progressive
Past
-
loanedsimple
-
had loanedperfect
-
was loaningprogressive
-
were loaningprogressive
-
had been loaningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of loan1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English noun lon(e), lan(e), Old English lān, from Old Norse lān; replacing its cognate, Old English lǣn “loan, grant,” cognate with Dutch leen “loan,” German Leh(e)n “fief”; cf. lend
Origin of loan2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lane, lone, Old English lane, lane 1
Explanation
If you want to buy a car but don't have money, you'll need a loan: a sum of money given temporarily that must be repaid, often with interest, or an added percentage on top the original sum. You can loan money or objects. If you loan someone your car, make sure he's a good driver. You might loan your friend a sweatshirt if she's cold and doesn't have one. Expect to get both your car and your sweatshirt back. A word that is borrowed from another language is called a loanword, like the word karaoke, which is Japanese.
Vocabulary lists containing loan
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Achievement First 5th Grade IA 1 Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Great Depression and The New Deal
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
They bought a new home before listing, taking out a loan to cover the down payment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Qualifying for a home loan also has gotten harder because home prices have outpaced income growth, as the below chart from an Oct.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Boro saw off competition around the Championship, and in Europe, to sign the 21-year-old who impressed at Oxford United in the second tier last season, scoring 12 league goals on loan for a relegated side.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The Federal Housing Administration insures mortgages with 3.5% down payments, though borrowers must pay premiums equal to 1.75% of the loan amount, plus a roughly 0.55% annual fee for the life of the loan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
If Father stayed healthy Naima was sure he would earn enough to provide food and pay back the rickshaw loan.
From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins
The state would issue bonds to fund loans to cover down payments for buyers of newly constructed homes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
But Abramovich's team claimed that Yugraneft had been unable to repay loans of more than $30m, so lost its right over the shares.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The World Bank, which doesn’t use developed or developing country labels, has said it will phase out loans to China by 2031.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Intrafamily loans establish clear parameters and legally binding terms that protect both parents and children.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
As he dug into New Century, however, Park saw that they owned all these subprime mortgages—and he could see from their own statements that the quality of these loans was frighteningly poor.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Among the 39 players sold or loaned out were Enzo Fernandez, whose £125m move to Manchester City matched the British transfer record, and Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, who joined Aston Villa for £65m.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Trust companies, the original “shadow banks,” had loaned buckets of money to risky businesses, real-estate speculators and stock traders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
“Medicaid reduced the claim from $260,000 down to $100,000 and then the city of Lynn loaned $100,000 to Habitat for Humanity, which rehabbed the home and gave Gunning a lease,” Ford said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Chen said Bo, Panshi and another associate had loaned more than $2 million to the developers of an apartment complex, prompting lawsuits over unpaid debts and control of the property.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Burger had been loaned as an aide-de-camp to the head of the medical division of the storm troopers, a former Olympian athlete and doctor named Emil Ketterer.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
Museums have for a long time relied on wealthy individuals bequeathing, loaning or donating artefacts to build their science and art collections, explains Dr Smithwick, who recovers and sells fossils professionally.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
The deal would involve the U.S. government loaning as much as $500 million to Spirit, and receiving warrants to take a stake in the low-cost carrier in return, the Journal said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
You would likely not see any money you gave him, so even loaning him money would merely start a bad habit that could be hard to break.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 21, 2026
The closure – long planned – is what gave Macron the opportunity to perform his act of cultural diplomacy, committing France to loaning the tapestry to the British Museum for a year from next September.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025
I planned to tell her that Dad was loaning it out for a few weeks.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
