lien

noun

ˈlēn  ˈlē-ən 

1

: a charge upon real or personal property for the satisfaction of some debt or duty ordinarily arising by operation of law

The bank had a lien on our house.

2

: the security interest created by a mortgage

the lien of a mortgage

Examples of lien in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rogers has a lien on her modest home and her social security is garnished. —Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

The vacant lots came under city ownership by a variety of paths, including foreclosures for unpaid taxes or liens to recoup the cost of demolition after damage by fire or structural collapse. —Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025

If unpaid, it’s treated like a delinquent tax — risking liens, penalties and collections. —Steven Cordova, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025

Because the deeds were never recorded, the investor had no lien on the properties and therefore no collateral. —Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 13 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French lien, loyen bond, restraint, from Latin ligamen, from ligare to bind — more at ligature

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for lien

• bean
• bein
• bien
• bouin
• chine
• clean
• deen
• diene
• gene
• glean
• jean
• keen

Kids Definition

lien

noun

ˈlēn  ˈlē-ən 

: a legal claim on the property of another person until he or she has met a certain obligation (as a debt)

Medical Definition

lien

noun

li·​en ˈlī-ən, ˈlī-ˌen 

: spleen

lienal

-ᵊl 

adjective

Legal Definition

lien

noun

ˈlēn 

: a charge or encumbrance upon property for the satisfaction of a debt or other duty that is created by agreement of the parties or especially by operation of law

specifically : a security interest created especially by a mortgage

— assessment lien

: a lien that is on property benefiting from an improvement made by a municipality and that secures payment of the taxes assessed to pay for the improvement

— attachment lien

: a lien acquired on property by a creditor upon levy of an attachment

— carrier's lien

: a lien against freight conferring on the carrier the right to retain the property until the amount due is paid

— charging lien

: a lien attaching to a judgment or recovery awarded to a plaintiff and securing payment of the plaintiff's attorney's fees and expenses

called also special lien

— choate lien

: a lien that requires no further action to be made enforceable and that identifies the lienor, the property subject to the lien, and the amount of the lien

— common-law lien

: a lien under common law giving a creditor (as a bailee) in possession of property the right to retain possession until payment of the amount due

— equitable lien

: a lien against property that does not require possession of the property and that is available in equity to prevent unjust enrichment

— factor's lien

: a lien against property held on consignment by a factor conferring the right to retain possession of the property until payment of the amount due

Note: A factor's lien is simply a security interest and, unlike a common-law lien, is enforceable even after the factor is no longer in possession of the property.

— first lien

: a lien taking precedence over all other claims, charges, or encumbrances of the same general category but not necessarily over those (as taxes) imposed by government sanction

— floating lien

: a lien created in a security agreement against property owned by the debtor at the time of the agreement's creation as well as property acquired after the agreement's creation

— general lien

: a lien that is for the satisfaction of a balance due from an owner of property and that is not confined to the amount due in respect to the property itself

: retaining lien in this entry

— inchoate lien

: a lien for which some procedure remains unfinished or some term remains undetermined

— involuntary lien

: a lien that arises other than by the debtor's consent (as by operation of law)

— judgment lien

: a lien acquired against the property of a debtor by a creditor upon obtaining a favorable judgment

— judicial lien

: a lien obtained by a legal or equitable process (as judgment, levy, attachment, or execution)

— junior lien

: a lien that is lower in priority relative to other liens

— landlord's lien

: a lien against the goods and valuables of a tenant to secure payment of rent or sometimes repayment of money otherwise owed to a landlord

— maritime lien

: a lien arising under maritime law against a ship or its cargo (as for services or supplies tendered or for damages caused by a collision) which may be enforced by a court-ordered seizure of the property in order to satisfy the obligation

— materialman's lien \ mə-​ˈtir-​ē-​əl-​mənz-​ \

: a lien on property for materials supplied

— mechanic's lien

: a lien against a building and its site to assure priority of payment for labor or services (as construction and sometimes design) or material

— retaining lien

: a lien that attaches to the papers or property of a client which have come into his or her attorney's possession in the course of employment and that secures payment of the attorney's fees

called also general lien

— senior lien

: a lien that is higher in priority relative to other liens

— special lien

: an equitable lien enforceable to compel performance of an obligation (as under a divorce settlement)

: charging lien in this entry

— specific lien

: a lien upon specific property as security for the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of some other obligation arising out of a transaction or agreement involving that property compare general lien in this entry

— statutory lien

: a lien imposed by statute

— tax lien

: a statutory lien on property for taxes due giving the taxing authority a security interest in the property compare tax sale at sale

— vendor's lien

: a lien on especially real property securing payment in full of the purchase price by the buyer

— voluntary lien

: a lien created (as by contract) with the consent of the debtor

Etymology

Anglo-French, bond, obligation, literally, tie, band, from Old French, from Latin ligamen, from ligare to bind