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Definition of loan

loan

/loʊn/
loan

Plural:loans
•
Past Simple:loaned
•
Past Participle:loaned
•
Present Participle:loaning
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loan Lexical Profile

loan Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A thing that is borrowed, especially a sum of money that is expected to be paid back with interest.

Example

"She took out a bank loan to help finance her university education."


2

The act of lending something to someone, or the condition of being lent.

Example

"The museum acquired the rare sculpture on loan from a private collector."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• verb

1

To lend a sum of money or an item of property to someone.

Example

"The library agreed to loan the historical documents to the university for their upcoming exhibition."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Word Nuance & Usage

In formal British English, 'lend' is traditionally preferred as the verb form, whereas American English frequently and correctly uses 'loan' as both a noun and a verb.

• Rhymes for loan

Word Origin & Etymology

From Middle English 'lone', derived from Old Norse 'lán' (meaning 'loan' or 'fief'), of Germanic origin.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Loan. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/loan
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