mortgage
Americannoun
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mortgages
plural
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a conveyance of an interest in real property as security for the repayment of money borrowed to buy the property; a lien or claim on property such that the lender can take possession if the loan is not repaid.
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the deed by which such a transaction is effected.
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the rights conferred by such a transaction, or the state of the property conveyed: I own a house under mortgage.
The bank holds a mortgage on his farm.
I own a house under mortgage.
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the total loan obtained or the periodic installment to be paid under such a transaction.
They took out a $500,000 mortgage.
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the obligation to repay such a loan; the debt incurred.
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an advance obligation or pledge, usually involving some risk.
Without good maternity care, some babies will be born with a long-term mortgage on their future health.
verb (used with object)
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mortgages,
present (3rd person singular)
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mortgaged,
past participle, past
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mortgaging
present participle
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to convey or place (real property) under a mortgage.
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to place under advance obligation; to pledge, usually taking on some risk.
to mortgage one's life to the defense of democracy.
noun
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an agreement under which a person borrows money to buy property, esp a house, and the lender may take possession of the property if the borrower fails to repay the money
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the deed effecting such an agreement
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the loan obtained under such an agreement
a mortgage of £48 000
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a regular payment of money borrowed under such an agreement
a mortgage of £247 per month
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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submortgagenoun
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overmortgageverb
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remortgageverb (used with object)
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unmortgageverb (used with object)
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mortgageableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mortgagesimple
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mortgagessimple
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have mortgagedperfect
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has mortgagedperfect
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am mortgagingprogressive
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are mortgagingprogressive
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is mortgagingprogressive
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have been mortgagingperfect progressive
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has been mortgagingperfect progressive
Past
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mortgagedsimple
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had mortgagedperfect
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was mortgagingprogressive
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were mortgagingprogressive
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had been mortgagingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mortgage
First recorded in 1350–1400; earlier morgage, Middle English, from Old French mortgage, equivalent to mort “dead” (from Latin mortuus ) + gage “pledge”; see gage 1
Explanation
A mortgage is a loan in which the lender may use your property as payment if you don't pay back the loan. Offer your friend a mortgage for the $20 he wants...with his bike as security. Most people obtain a mortgage when they buy a house. The bank extends the loan because of the guarantee that the house will be the bank’s to sell if the debt isn’t repaid. When you make this deal, you have mortgaged your house — the word mortgage can be used as a noun or a verb.
Vocabulary lists containing mortgage
Richard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Dwight D. Eisenhower, "The Military-Industrial Complex" (1961)
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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:
Now imagine competing against buyers who don’t even need a mortgage.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Some of his clients’ parents provide an intrafamily loan, for instance, where instead of a mortgage, the buyer uses family money to finance the purchase.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
That would be a boon for home builders who have seen buyer interest plummet as mortgage rates have surged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
To make the comparison fair, all interest paid on the mortgage is subtracted from home-price returns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Lippmann didn’t know exactly how Goldman Sachs had persuaded AIG FP to provide the same service to the booming market in subprime mortgage loans that it provided to the market for corporate loans.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
It is painful for those on variable mortgages, but should not be seen as the start of a cycle of hikes.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
The program would not be funded by taxpayers but instead by the interest charged to borrowers on their down-payment loans, also referred to as second mortgages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
Today, adjustable rate mortgages comprise around 5% of active mortgages, and they are less risky because of greater regulation and higher lending standards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Just 22.5% of mortgages had a rate of 6% or higher, they company noted.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
That was the beauty of credit default swaps: They enabled him to make a fortune if just a tiny fraction of these dubious pools of mortgages went bad.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Not terribly long ago, Cleveland mortgaged its future believing that Watson was its savior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Put differently, the average mortgaged homeowner now spends more than a full month’s housing payment each year on insurance.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
Peter White, defending, said Callaghan had put his gas engineering business, which employs three people, and the mortgaged home he shares with his partner and nine-month-old daughter at risk.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2024
The couple mortgaged their Hollywood Hills home again and again to finance his films, she said, in an effort to remain independent from the tight reins of Hollywood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2024
One afternoon, Elizabeth listened to a widow named Flora Campbell tearfully explain that, without her consent, her husband had mortgaged the farm that had been in her family for years.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
“Russia would be further mortgaging its future for the sake of military gains,” said Alexander Kolyandr, a director at the consulting firm Eurasia Group.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He’s a strong candidate for a team that wants a front-end starter without mortgaging the future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2025
Mid-cap players are mortgaging chunks of their businesses to get in on the action, too.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
Migrants from Africa, Asia and South America are mortgaging their family land, selling their cars or borrowing money from loan sharks to embark on long, often treacherous journeys to reach the United States.
From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
Almost immediately, the financial slide began, but was artificially buoyed by extravagant bank loans that Chacko raised by mortgaging the family’s rice fields around the Ayemenem House.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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