loan
gb/lˈoʊn/ us/lˈoʊn/
A2
English
~ 1500
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
Money borrowed from a lender
Money that you borrow from a person or bank and must pay back.
Usage pattern:
a loan from [someone/somewhere]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'loan' with 'mortgage'. A mortgage is a specific type of loan for buying property.
Synonyms
credit (General term for borrowed money, often referring to available borrowing capacity rather than a specific sum.)
Antonyms
repayment (Refers to the act of paying back borrowed money, the opposite stage of having a loan.)
Collocations
take out a loan
|pay off a loan
|bank loan
|student loan
|loan agreement
Themes
business
|finance
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She took out a loan to buy her first house.
- The company secured a loan from the bank to expand operations.
- He applied for a student loan to cover tuition fees.
- We finally paid off our car loan last month.
- Without the loan, they couldn't have started the business.
Learner examples
- I got a loan from the bank.
- He needs a loan to buy a car.
- She is paying back her loan.
- They took a loan for their new shop.
Verb
B1
action
2
Give something temporarily for return
To give something to someone for some time, and expect them to give it back.
Usage pattern:
to loan [something] to [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'loan' (verb) with 'borrow'. Remember: you loan to someone, you borrow from someone.
Synonyms
lend ('Lend' is more common in everyday English; 'loan' as a verb is more common in American English.)
Antonyms
borrow (To take something temporarily from someone else, the opposite role in the exchange.)
Collocations
loan money
|loan equipment
|loan books
Themes
daily life
|finance
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Can you loan me $20 until Friday?
- The library will loan laptops to students during exams.
- They agreed to loan their spare car to us for the weekend.
- The museum has loaned several paintings to the gallery.
- I can loan you my jacket if you're cold.
Learner examples
- Please loan me your pen.
- The bank will loan him the money.
- She will loan her bike to her friend.
- I can loan you my book.
Noun
B2
entity
3
Item temporarily given for use
Something that someone lets you use for a short time and you must give it back.
Synonyms
lease (A lease usually refers to renting property or equipment for a fixed period under contract.)
Antonyms
gift (A gift is given without expectation of return, unlike a loan.)
Collocations
on loan
|loan of equipment
Themes
daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The tools are on loan from another department.
- The sculpture is on loan from the national museum.
- We received a loan of camping gear from our friends.
Learner examples
- This book is on loan from the library.
- The camera is on loan from my uncle.
- We have a loan of chairs for the event.
Grammar
Dictionary form
loan
IPA
GB/lˈoʊn/
US/lˈoʊn/
Syllables & stress
loan (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (loan)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: loan
- Plural: loans
Verb
- Base: loan
- 3rd Person Singular: loans
- Present Participle: loaning
- Past: loaned
Word family
Expressions
on loan
1/ˈɔn lˈoʊn/
fixed phrase
Temporarily given for use
Being used by someone for a time but owned by someone else.
Examples
- The painting is on loan from the national gallery.
- This equipment is on loan from another school.
pay off a loan
1/pˈeɪ ˈɔf ə lˈoʊn/
fixed phrase
Repay borrowed money completely
To finish paying all the money you owe for a loan.
Examples
- We finally paid off our car loan last month.
- She hopes to pay off her student loans within five years.
take out a loan
1/tˈeɪk ˈaʊt ə lˈoʊn/
fixed phrase
Formally borrow money from lender
To borrow money from a bank or other lender by making an official agreement.
Examples
- They had to take out a loan to buy the house.
- I took out a loan to start my own business.
loan shark
1/lˈoʊn ʃˈɑɹk/
fixed phrase
informal
Illegal high-interest money lender
A person who lends money at very high interest rates, often illegally.
Examples
- He borrowed money from a loan shark and got into trouble.
- He borrowed from a loan shark when the bank refused to give him a loan.
- Loan sharks prey on people who can't get bank loans.
- Loan sharks often target people who are already in serious debt.
- The police are trying to shut down local loan shark operations.