lend
2 ENTRIES FOUND:
Britannica Dictionary definition of LEND
1
a
[+ object]
:
to give (something) to (someone) to be used for a period of time and then returned
-
She often lends us books. = She often lends books to us.
-
Could you lend me your pen? [=could I borrow your pen?]
-
I lent our ladder to the neighbors.
b
:
to give (money) to someone who agrees to pay it back in the future
[+ object]
-
Can you lend me 50 cents? [=can I borrow 50 cents from you?]
-
The bank wouldn't lend us the money.
[no object]
-
Many banks won't lend to people with bad credit.
2
[+ object]
:
to make (something) available to (someone or something)
-
They offered to lend us their services. [=to provide us with their services]
-
They are glad to lend their support to worthy causes.
-
It's surprising that he would lend his name to such a venture. [=that he would allow his name to be associated with such a venture]
3
[+ object]
a
:
to add (something that is needed or wanted) to (something)
-
A bit of grated carrot lends some color to the dish. = A bit of grated carrot lends the dish some color.
-
A growing amount of evidence lends weight/credence/credibility to their theory. [=makes their theory seem true or correct]
b
:
to provide (something that is needed or wanted)
-
She's always there to lend a (helping) hand. [=she's always there to help]
lend an ear
lend itself to
◊ Something that lends itself to a purpose is good or suitable for that purpose.
-
Her voice lends itself well to (singing) opera.
-
The topics lend themselves to classroom discussion.
— lender
noun, plural lenders [count]-
banks and other lenders
-
borrowers and lenders
