Loan vs. Lend: Usage Guide
The verb loan is one of the words English settlers brought to America and continued to use after it had died out in Britain. Its use was soon noticed by British visitors and somewhat later by the New England literati, who considered it a bit provincial. It was flatly declared wrong in 1870 by a popular commentator, who based his objection on etymology. A later scholar showed that the commentator was ignorant of Old English and thus unsound in his objection, but by then it was too late, as the condemnation had been picked up by many other commentators. Although a surprising number of critics still voice objections, loan is entirely standard as a verb. You should note that it is used only literally; lend is the verb used for figurative expressions, such as "lending a hand" or "lending enchantment."
Synonyms
Examples of loan in a Sentence
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
That has happened partly because pandemic disruptions are receding and partly because the Fed’s higher interest rates are making mortgages, leases and business loans more expensive, cooling key parts of the economy.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2023
Rates are high enough to meaningfully slow the economy and quell demand for all kinds of loans and investments.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
One study suggests that the trillions of dollars in infrastructure loans to countries by the government and quasi-government bodies in China typically lead to debt problems that the borrowing countries can’t manage.
—Leland Lazarus, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2023
That startled some observers and sparked public anger, particularly for many Australians who took out loans or mortgages believing borrowing costs would remain low.
—Michelle Toh, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023
Some schools convert no-interest plans into interest-bearing loans when payments are missed.
—Danielle Douglas-Gabriel The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2023
Secured home loans such as home-equity loans or home equity lines of credit have seen a surge in popularity recently, as more homeowners stay put following increases in home values and mortgage rates.
—Michele Lerner, wsj.com, 15 Sep. 2023
Defender Vanessa Gilles is playing on loan in France.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023
Paul J. Weber, Jake Bleiberg, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2023
Hence, Apple has only been loaning out a limited number of hacker-friendly iPhones each year and only to security researchers with a track record of finding software flaws.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 30 Aug. 2023
Trinity, which had loaned Madera $15.4 million during their merger talks, became its largest creditor in the bankruptcy that ensued.
—Bernard J. Wolfson | Kff Health News, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
Barbeau then set traps the wildlife department loaned her, near her back patio and garage.
—Austindedios, oregonlive, 24 Aug. 2023
Unfamiliar with the salaries of working sports reporters, Ramirez and Julian Tavarez once asked Cleveland beat writers Paul Hoynes and Sheldon Ocker to loan them money to purchase motorcycles.
—Joe Noga, cleveland, 19 Aug. 2023
The key concern, said Towes, is whether Western organizations have loaned to shadow banks and are now vulnerable.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Sep. 2023
Subprime lenders loan to you even if your credit score is below 580, which is a low rating, per the credit rating company Experian.
—Elizabeth Rivelli, Car and Driver, 5 Sep. 2023
In October 2020, Chicago woman Kayla Eubanks said she was stopped from boarding her flight for her attire and that, after demanding to see the policy that allowed that, the gate agent could not find the policy but would not relent until the flight captain loaned her a t-shirt.
—Sasha Richie, Dallas News, 5 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'loan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
Middle English lone "something lent or owing, divine gift," borrowed from Old Norse lán "something lent, fief," going back to Germanic *laihna- "something granted or lent" (whence also Old Frisian lēn "fief, benefice, something lent," Old Saxon lēhan "gift, fief," Old High German lēhan, lēn "something lent, feudal tenure, benefice," and, from a variant *laihni-, Old English lǣn "something lent, grant, gift"), noun derivative from the verb *līhwan- "to grant, lend" — more at delinquent entry 2
Note: Germanic *laihna- appears directly comparable with the Indo-Iranian s-stem represented by Vedic Sanskrit rékṇaḥ "inheritance, property," Avestan raēxənah- "inheritance," though it is uncertain if the Germanic word can also be derived from an s-stem. See note at delinquent entry 2.
Verb
derivative of loan entry 1
Noun
12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
circa 1543, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing loan
Dictionary Entries Near loan
Cite this Entry
“Loan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loan. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
loan
1 of 2 nounloan
2 of 2 verb
Legal Definition
loan
nouncalled also equity loan, home equity line, home equity line of credit
see also qualified residence interest at interest sense 5
More from Merriam-Webster on loan
Nglish: Translation of loan for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of loan for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about loan
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