loan
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.money that you borrow from a bank or person and must pay back, usually with extra interest.
n.a sum of money provided by a lender to a borrower on the condition that it be repaid, typically with interest, over a specified period.
Simple“The bank approved her loan so she could finally buy a small apartment.”
In context“The small business owner applied for a low-interest loan to cover the costs of upgrading the kitchen equipment before the summer season.”
UsageOften used with the verbs 'take out', 'repay', or 'apply for'.
PitfallI need to take a loan for my new car. I need to take out a loan for my new car.In English, we use the phrasal verb 'take out' when talking about obtaining a loan from a bank.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the act of letting someone use something for a short time.
n.the act of granting temporary use of an object or property to another party.
Simple“The famous painting is currently on loan to a museum in Paris.”
In context“Several rare manuscripts were provided on loan from the national archives for the duration of the historical exhibition.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'on loan'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to give something to someone for a period of time, expecting to get it back.
v.to lend something to a recipient; frequently used ditransitively with both a direct and indirect object.
Simple“Could you loan me your umbrella until tomorrow morning?”
In context“He agreed to loan his brother the deposit for the flat, provided they signed a formal agreement regarding the repayment schedule.”
UsageIn British English, 'lend' is preferred as the verb form.
PitfallCan you loan to me five dollars? Can you loan me five dollars?When using 'loan' as a verb, the person receiving the item usually comes immediately after the verb without 'to'.
loan vs borrow — Borrow is to take something for a short time; loan is to give something for a short time.
Usage loan move · loan payment
“The number of loans to first home buyers dropped by 2.9% over the three-month period, to be flat over the year.”
“At 18, players have already received years of professional coaching but remain young enough to spend time in an under-21 or B-team environment before decisions are made over loans or first-team opportunities.”
From Middle English lone, lane, from Old Norse lán, from Proto-Germanic laihną, from Proto-Indo-European leykʷ- (“to leave (over)”). Cognate with Icelandic lán, Swedish lån, Danish lån, German Lehen (“fief”), Dutch leen (“fief”), West Frisian lien, North Frisian leen (“fief; loan; office”), Scots lane, lain, len, Old English lǣn. More at lend.
From Scottish Gaelic lòn (“marshy meadow”) (compare lèana (“wet meadow, marsh, meadow”)).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.