payday loan

noun

plural payday loans
: a short-term high-interest loan in a relatively small sum usually intended to be repaid from the borrower's next paycheck : a loan issued by a payday lender
Payday loans involve potential financial pitfalls, such as debt that grows uncontrollably if not repaid on time.Matt Ryan Webber

Examples of payday loan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Those practices included predatory mortgage lending, junk fees, confusing jargon on financial product descriptions, payday loans, and much more. Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 20 May 2026 Among the condemned is House Bill 1046, which would've carved out paycheck advance services from Colorado's payday loan regulations. Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 12 May 2026 Are these costs far lower than the exorbitant charges of a payday loan? Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2026 Advance has argued that the new product would help consumers by offering them loans that are technically cheaper than a payday loan. Adam Friedman, ProPublica, 5 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of payday loan was in 1937

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Cite this Entry

“Payday loan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payday%20loan. Accessed 31 May. 2026.

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