hire-purchase

British  

noun

1. US and Canadian equivalents: instalment plan.   installment plan.   HP.   h.p.. 

   1. a system for purchasing merchandise, such as cars or furniture, in which the buyer takes possession of the merchandise on payment of a deposit and completes the purchase by paying a series of regular instalments while the seller retains ownership until the final instalment is paid

   2. ( as modifier )

      hire-purchase legislation

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hire-purchase

The Middle East conflict probably poses lower risks than the Russia-Ukraine crisis to the asset quality of the Thai provider of hire-purchase services for autos including trucks, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

After aggressively de-risking its balance sheet, the Thai hire-purchase financing provider’s loan book appears more resilient, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

A person is not the owner of jewellery they are making payments for under a lease, rental, hire-purchase or bill of sale agreement.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026

Mr Johnson earned just over £13,000 a year, so finance involved a hire-purchase agreement and an extra personal loan.

From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2024

To-day he had successfully prosecuted a man who seemed to have lived for some time on the hire-purchase system, and it made him unusually cheerful.

From In the Year of Jubilee by George Gissing