"Lend or Loan": Clarifying the Vocabulary of Borrowing


"Lend or Loan": Clarifying the Vocabulary of Borrowing

Definition and example of “lended or loaned”

The words “lended” and “loaned” are both past tense forms of the verb “lend”, which means to give something to someone with the expectation that it will be returned. The words “lended” and “loaned” are often used interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference between the two. “Lended” is more formal than “loaned”, and it is more likely to be used in written contexts. For example, you might see the word “lended” in a legal document or in a historical text. “Loaned”, on the other hand, is more informal and is more likely to be used in everyday speech. For example, you might say that you “loaned” your friend your car or that you “loaned” someone money.

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