lend
verb
uk/lend/ uslent uk/lent/ | lent uk/lent/ [ I or T ] BANKING, FINANCE
if a bank or other financial organization lends money to someone, it gives them money for a period of time which they then pay back with interest:
Britain's building societies chiefly lend money for house purchase.
lend $5,000/£2bn/€1m, etc. to sb The Ohio Development Financing Advisory Council agreed to lend $20 million to the Port Authority.
lend sb $5,000/£2bn/€1m, etc. A number of prominent businessmen are rumoured to have lent the Party over £20 million.
lend to sb/sth Banks have been heavily criticized for lending to people who cannot afford the repayments.
[ T ]
to give someone something for a period of time, after which they will give it back to you:
lend sb sth Can you lend me $20?
lend sth to sb Her tasks included persuading stores to offer discounts or lend clothes on approval to her boss.
to give something a quality that makes it better in some way:
lend sth to sth We hope that these measures will lend stability to the economy.
lend weight (to sth) February's trade figures lend weight to the Fund's less cheerful view.
lend credence/credibility (to sth) Other evidence helped lend credibility to their claims.
lend a (helping) hand
to do something that helps a company or person:
The Federal Reserve is expected to lend a hand by continuing to cut interest rates forcefully.
lend your support (to sth)
to support someone or something:
I have lent my support to his plan for a private referendum.