lexicow

lend

/lend//lend/·verb
Two open hands in the dark, mine on the left. A coin rests in my hand, and an arrow curves away toward the other as it slides across into their palm — it glows my colour even over there, and when the loan is up it comes back to me. The arrow tells the whole story: the money goes away from me. Given out and spent, yet mine the whole way.
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Definition

To lend is to give something that is yours for someone else to use for a while, expecting it to come back: you lend a book, money, or a hand. The focus is on the giver — the thing leaves you, but it stays yours, which is why it returns. From Old English lǣnan. It is the mirror image of borrow: the same loan, seen from the owner's side rather than the receiver's. Banks lend at interest; a colour can lend warmth to a room; a fact can lend weight to an argument.

Examples

  • Could you lend me your notes? I will return them after I scrutinize the data.
  • The bank agreed to lend the amount she needed to expand the workshop.
  • He was happy to lend his tools, provided they came back clean.

Collocations

lend money to·lend a hand·lend support·lend weight to·lend at interest

Synonyms

loan·advance·let someone use

Antonyms

borrow·withhold·keep

See also

Word family

lender (noun)·lending (noun)

In TOEFL & IELTS

The mirror of borrow and a frequent trap. Lend is to give (owner's side); borrow is to take (receiver's side). Use 'lend someone something' or 'lend something to someone' — 'lend me a pen', not 'borrow me a pen'. Note also the figurative collocations rewarded in IELTS Writing: 'lend support', 'lend weight to', 'lend credibility to'. The past tense is lent.