English Reference
Word noun

lender

n.
US /ˈɫɛndɝ/ UK /lˈɛndɐ/ lender UK spelling lenders
Definition
  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    a person or company, such as a bank, that lends money to people or businesses.

    an entity, typically a financial institution, that provides capital to a borrower under a credit agreement.

    Simple

    “The bank is a major lender to small businesses in this city.”

    In context

    “Before approving the mortgage, the lender required a comprehensive audit of the couple's financial history and current assets.”

    Usage

    Often used with the preposition 'to' when identifying the recipient of the loan.

    Synonyms
    creditorloaner
    Antonyms
    borrowerdebtor
Real-world usage

“That speedy rise led to lenders quickly pulling deals while they tried to work out what interest rate to charge.”

BBC News· 2 Sept 2026

“Lenders can decide to reduce their own interest rates if Bank cuts make borrowing costs cheaper.”

BBC News· 19 Aug 2026
Etymology

From Middle English lendare, leendare, variants of lenner, lenere, equivalent to lend + -er.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English lendare
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated