second mortgage

American

noun

a mortgage the lien of which is next in priority to a first mortgage.

second mortgage British

noun

a mortgage incurred after a first mortgage and having second claim against the security

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of second mortgage

First recorded in 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.

With the loans consolidated, the payments are “doable,” he said, though he describes them as a second mortgage.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

They used crowdfunding and took out a second mortgage on their home to scrape together $100,000 to pay for the procedure, setting $55,000 aside in what they thought was a safe escrow account.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

Most recently, season 17 contestant Lexi Love said she took out a second mortgage to pay for her outfits for the show.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2025

Rather, homeowners need to obtain a second mortgage or a home equity line of credit.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 14, 2023

“By the way, Michael. Why did you take out a second mortgage with NatWest Bank for five thousand pounds in January?”

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023