payday lender

noun

plural payday lenders
: a company that issues short-term high-interest loans in relatively small sums usually intended to be repaid from the borrower's next paycheck
… underemployed, financially strapped parents who often turn to nontraditional financial services such as payday lenders and pawn shops …Paul Tullis
Since 1990, more than 1,200 bank branches have closed in rural and low-income communities, pushing many people toward payday lenders.Simon Enoch and Ryan Romard
see payday loan

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of payday lender was in 1969

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Cite this Entry

“Payday lender.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/payday%20lender. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.

Last Updated: - Entry added
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