loan
From Middle English 'loan', from Old Norse 'lán' meaning 'a loan, a gift'.
NOUN
(1)
[/loʊn/en-US]
An amount of money, or sometimes an item, that is lent by one person or institution to another, which must be returned, usually with interest.
| plural |
|---|
| loans |
- She applied for a bank loan to buy a new car. — This sentence refers to a sum of money borrowed from a financial institution.
- The museum received a valuable painting on loan from a private collector. — This example refers to an item lent for temporary use, not necessarily money.
- They finally paid off their student loan after ten years. — This denotes a debt incurred for educational purposes that must be repaid.
VERB
(1)
[/loʊn/en-US]
To give something, especially money, to someone for a period of time, with the understanding that it will be returned.
irregular note only if irregular
| past | present_participle |
|---|---|
| loaned | loaning |
- Can you loan me five dollars until tomorrow? — This is a request to borrow a small sum of money.
- The library loans books for a period of two weeks. — This indicates that the library provides books for temporary use.
- The wealthy benefactor agreed to loan the struggling artist enough money to open a studio. — This shows a more significant financial transaction, implying a formal agreement.