lent

¹ American  

[lent] / lɛnt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of lend.

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Lent ² American  

[lent] / lɛnt /

noun

1. (in the Christian religion) an annual season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting 40 weekdays to Easter, observed by Roman Catholic, Anglican, and certain other churches.

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-lent ³ American  

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, variant of -ulent.

   pestilent.

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Lent ¹ British  

/ lɛnt /

noun

1. Christianity the period of forty weekdays lasting from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, observed as a time of penance and fasting commemorating Jesus' fasting in the wilderness

2. (modifier) falling within or associated with the season before Easter

   Lent observance

3. (plural) (at Cambridge University) Lent term boat races

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lent ² British  

/ lɛnt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of lend

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Lent Cultural  

1. In Christianity, a time of fasting and repentance in the spring, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending several weeks later on Easter.

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Usage

What is Lent? Lent is the season of fasting and penitence that precedes Easter in some branches of Christianity.It is commonly observed by abstaining from certain things.

Discover More

To “give something up for Lent” is to abandon a pleasurable habit as an act of devotion and self-discipline.

Other Word Forms

• post-Lent adjective
• unlent adjective
• well-lent adjective

Etymology

Origin of Lent

First recorded before 900; Middle English leynte, Old English læncte “spring, springtime, Lent,” literally, “lengthening (of daylight hours)”; cognate with Dutch lente(n), German Lenz “spring” (only English has the ecclesiastical sense); Lenten, long ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

He also lent his voice to the Christmas Day adaptation of Julia Donaldson's book, Tiddler, and recently became a published children's author.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

A five-year federal investigation into Wiederhorn, prompted by fraud allegations at Capital Consultants, a firm he did business with, revealed that he had lent himself some $65 million from Wilshire that he never repaid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

Before even a dollar of investor money in these funds would be lost, firms holding equity stakes in these companies being lent to by the fund would see their investments wiped out.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 14, 2026

Sear even lent his voice to video games “Grand Theft Auto III” and “Grand Theft Auto IV,” according to IMDb.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

“I already told the police that I lent him the car,” said Henry.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt