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lend

Pronunciation: /lɛnd/
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Definition of lend

verb (past and past participle lent /lɛnt/)

[with two objects]
  • 1grant to (someone) the use of (something) on the understanding that it will be returned:Stewart asked me to lend him my car the pictures were lent to each museum in turn
  • allow (a person or organization) the use of (a sum of money) under an agreement to pay it back later, typically with interest:no one would lend him the money [no object]:banks lend only to their current account customers (as noun lending)balance sheets weakened by unwise lending
  • 2contribute or add (a quality) to:the smile lent his face a boyish charm
  • 3 (lend oneself to) accommodate or adapt oneself to:John stiffly lent himself to her aromatic embraces
  • (lend itself to) (of a thing) be suitable for:bay windows lend themselves to blinds

Phrases

lend an ear (or one's ears)

listen sympathetically or attentively: the Samaritans lend their ears to those in crisis

lend a hand (or a helping hand)

see give a hand at hand.

lend one's name to

allow oneself to be publicly associated with:he lent his name and prestige to the project

Derivatives

lendable

adjective

Origin:

Old English lǣnan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch lenen, also to loan1. The addition of the final -d in late Middle English was due to association with verbs such as bend and send

1 Reciprocal pairs of words such as lend and borrow (or teach and learn) are often confused. Common uses in informal speech in a number of British dialects include can I lend your pen? (correct standard use is can I borrow your pen?).2 There is no noun lend in standard English, where loan is the correct word to use. However, it is used informally in a number of dialects and varieties, including Scottish, Northern Irish, and northern English, as in, for example, can I have a lend of your pen?.

lend in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of lend in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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