- lend
- lend [ lend ] (past tense and past participle lent [ lent ] ) verb **1. ) transitive to give someone something for a short time, expecting that they will give it back to you later. If you lend someone something, they borrow it from you:The local library will lend books for a month without charge.lend someone something: She lent me her very expensive coat.lend something to someone: Joe lent this car to us for the weekend.a ) intransitive or transitive to give someone money that you expect them to pay back later:Can you lend me $10?Banks are willing to lend large amounts of money to people starting up businesses.=> BORROW2. ) transitive to give something a particular quality:lend something to something: The secrecy lent an air of intrigue to their planning.lend something something: He looked at her and smiled, the smile lending his face a boyish charm.a ) lend credence/plausibility/weight to something to make an opinion or idea seem more correct:An in-house study has lent credence to the complaints of poor and impersonal service.3. ) transitive to give someone support or help:lend (your) support: Aid agencies lend support to refugees by providing blankets and food.lend (your) assistance: Then Max arrived to lend his assistance.lend a (helping) hand: Patricia is someone who is always ready to lend a helping hand.lend an ear (to)to listen to someone, especially someone who is upset:Just lend a sympathetic ear while she tells you her problems.lend itself to somethingto be suitable for a particular purpose:Watercolor lends itself well to reproduction.lend your name to somethingif someone, especially a famous person, lends their name to an organization or business, they publicly support it and allow their name to be connected with it:There are around 100 charities to which Princess Diana lent her name.
Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.