lend
Americanverb (used with object)
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to grant the use of (something) on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
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to give (money) on condition that it is returned and often that interest is paid for its temporary use.
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to give or contribute obligingly or helpfully.
to lend one's aid to a cause.
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to adapt (oneself or itself ) to something.
The building should lend itself to inexpensive remodeling.
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to furnish or impart.
Distance lends enchantment to the view.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
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(tr) to permit the use of (something) with the expectation of return of the same or an equivalent
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to provide (money) temporarily, often at interest
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(intr) to provide loans, esp as a profession
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(tr) to impart or contribute (something, esp some abstract quality)
her presence lent beauty
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(tr) to provide, esp in order to assist or support
he lent his skill to the company
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to listen
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to possess the right characteristics or qualities for
the novel lends itself to serialization
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to give support, cooperation, etc
Other Word Forms
- interlend verb
- lender noun
- overlend verb
- relend verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of lend
First recorded before 900; from Middle English lenden, variant (originally past tense) of lenen, Old English lǣnan (cognate with Dutch lenen, German lehnen, Old Norse lāna ), derivative of lǣn loan; cognate with German Lehnen, Old Norse lān; loan 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After the 2008-09 financial crisis, he began recommending private credit just as banks were pulling back from lending to riskier companies, giving Blackstone, Ares and others the opportunity to make high-interest-rate loans.
The firms raise money from investors, big and small, and lend it out to companies that historically had a harder time getting bank loans.
As part of that effort, U.S. regulators recently started making banks disclose more details about their nonbank lending.
“Small businesses told us they wanted more ways to earn rewards wherever they shop and better tools to manage cash flow,” says Tai Koottatep, who heads worldwide B2B payments and lending at Amazon.
Many good coffee cake recipes lean on sour cream, which lends a pleasing density and richness to the batter.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
