Lend vs. Borrow — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on September 26, 2023
Lend means to give something temporarily, expecting it back, while Borrow means to take something temporarily with the intention of returning it. Both involve temporary use but from opposite perspectives.
Difference Between Lend and Borrow
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Lend and Borrow are verbs frequently used in English, but they're often interchanged mistakenly. Lend means to provide something to someone for a temporary period. For example, a bank can lend money to a person. Conversely, Borrow involves taking something from someone with the promise to return it. A person might borrow a book from a library.
Lend implies a generosity or helpfulness, as the lender is permitting someone else to use their possessions. Libraries, for instance, lend books to patrons. Borrow, however, suggests a need or desire on the part of the borrower. Students often borrow notes from classmates if they miss a lecture.
Another way to distinguish between Lend and Borrow is to consider their perspectives. If you're giving, you're lending. If you're receiving or taking, you're borrowing. Parents might lend their car to their children, while those children borrow the car from their parents.
Comparison Chart
Action
Giving or providing temporarily.
Taking or receiving temporarily.
Perspective
From the one who has the item/thing.
From the one who needs/wants the item/thing.
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Implication
Generosity or helpfulness.
Need or desire.
Usage in Sentence
Often followed by 'to' (e.g., lend to someone).
Often followed by 'from' (e.g., borrow from someone).
Expected Outcome
Expectation to get the item back.
Obligation to return the item.
Compare with Definitions
Lend
To provide a quality or feature.
His presence lends confidence to the team.
Borrow
To take words from another language.
English often borrows terms from French.
Lend
To give something temporarily.
Can you lend me your pen?
Borrow
To obtain or receive (something) on loan with the promise or understanding of returning it or its equivalent.
Lend
To make available for use.
The bank will lend you the funds.
Borrow
To adopt or use as one's own
I borrowed your good idea.
Lend
To adapt or accommodate.
The venue can lend itself to various events.
Borrow
In subtraction, to take a unit from the next larger denomination in the minuend so as to make a number larger than the number to be subtracted.
Lend
Grant to (someone) the use of (something) on the understanding that it will be returned
Stewart asked me to lend him my car
The pictures were lent to each museum in turn
Borrow
(Linguistics) To adopt (a word) from one language for use in another.
Lend
Contribute or add (a quality) to
The smile lent his face a boyish charm
Borrow
To borrow something.
Lend
Accommodate or adapt oneself to
John stiffly lent himself to her aromatic embraces
Borrow
(Linguistics) To adopt words from one language for use in another.
Lend
To give or allow the use of temporarily on the condition that the same or its equivalent will be returned.
Borrow
To receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it.
Lend
To provide (money) temporarily on condition that the amount borrowed be returned, usually with an interest fee.
Borrow
To receive money from a bank or other lender under the agreement that the lender will be paid back over time.
Lend
To make available for another's use
The neighbors lent us help after the storm.
Borrow
To adopt (an idea) as one's own.
To borrow the style, manner, or opinions of another
Lend
To contribute or impart
Books and a fireplace lent a feeling of warmth to the room.
Borrow
(linguistics) To adopt a word from another language.
Lend
To make a loan. See Usage Note at loan.
Borrow
(arithmetic) In a subtraction, to deduct (one) from a digit of the minuend and add ten to the following digit, in order that the subtraction of a larger digit in the subtrahend from the digit in the minuend to which ten is added gives a positive result.
Lend
(transitive) To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
I will only lend you my car if you fill up the tank.
I lent her 10 euros to pay for the train tickets, and she paid me back the next day.
Borrow
To lend.
Lend
(intransitive) To make a loan.
Borrow
(ditransitive) To temporarily obtain (something) for (someone).
Lend
(reflexive) To be suitable or applicable, to fit.
Poems do not lend themselves to translation easily.
The long history of the past does not lend itself to a simple black and white interpretation.
Borrow
To feign or counterfeit.
Lend
To afford; to grant or furnish in general.
Can you lend me some assistance?
The famous director lent his name to the new film.
Borrow
(obsolete except in ballads) To secure the release of (someone) from prison.
Lend
(proscribed) To borrow.
Borrow
(informal) To receive (something, usually of trifling value) from somebody, with little possibility of returning it.
Can I borrow a sheet of paper?
Lend
Loan permission to borrow (something).
Borrow
(informal) To interrupt the current activity of (a person) and lead them away in order to speak with them, get their help, etc.
John, can I borrow you for a second? I need your help with the copier.
Lend
The lumbar region; loin.
Borrow
(golf) To adjust one's aim in order to compensate for the slope of the green.
Lend
The loins; flank; buttocks.
Borrow
Deviation of the path of a rolling ball from a straight line; slope; slant.
This putt has a big left-to right borrow on it.
Lend
To allow the custody and use of, on condition of the return of the same; to grant the temporary use of; as, to lend a book; - opposed to borrow.
Give me that ring.I'll lend it thee, my dear, but have no powerTo give it from me.
Borrow
A borrow pit.
Lend
To allow the possession and use of, on condition of the return of an equivalent in kind; as, to lend money or some article of food.
Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.
Borrow
(programming) In the Rust programming language, the situation where the ownership of a value is temporarily transferred to another region of code.
Lend
To afford; to grant or furnish in general; as, to lend assistance; to lend one's name or influence.
Cato, lend me for a while thy patience.
Mountain lines and distant horizons lend space and largeness to his compositions.
Borrow
(archaic) A ransom; a pledge or guarantee.
Lend
To let for hire or compensation; as, to lend a horse or gig.
Borrow
(archaic) A surety; someone standing bail.
Lend
Bestow a quality on;
Her presence lends a certain cachet to the company
The music added a lot to the play
She brings a special atmosphere to our meetings
This adds a light note to the program
Borrow
To receive from another as a loan, with the implied or expressed intention of returning the identical article or its equivalent in kind; - the opposite of lend.
Lend
Give temporarily; let have for a limited time;
I will lend you my car
Loan me some money
Borrow
To take (one or more) from the next higher denomination in order to add it to the next lower; - a term of subtraction when the figure of the subtrahend is larger than the corresponding one of the minuend.
Lend
Have certain characteristics of qualities for something; be open or vulnerable to;
This story would lend itself well to serialization on television
The current system lends itself to great abuse
Borrow
To copy or imitate; to adopt; as, to borrow the style, manner, or opinions of another.
Rites borrowed from the ancients.
It is not hard for any man, who hath a Bible in his hands, to borrow good words and holy sayings in abundance; but to make them his own is a work of grace only from above.
Lend
To contribute or add.
The spices lend flavor to the dish.
Borrow
To feign or counterfeit.
The borrowed majesty of England.
Borrow
To receive; to take; to derive.
Any drop thou borrowedst from thy mother.
Borrow
Something deposited as security; a pledge; a surety; a hostage.
Ye may retain as borrows my two priests.
Borrow
The act of borrowing.
Of your royal presence I'll adventureThe borrow of a week.
Borrow
Get temporarily;
May I borrow your lawn mower?
Borrow
Take up and practice as one's own
Borrow
To take something temporarily.
May I borrow your notebook?
Borrow
To adopt or take over from another source.
The designer likes to borrow ideas from nature.
Borrow
To take as a loan.
She wants to borrow money from the bank.
Common Curiosities
If I need a pencil for a test, do I lend or borrow it?
You borrow it.
If a bank gives me money, did it lend or borrow?
The bank lent you money.
What's the opposite of borrowing money from a bank?
Lending money to a bank.
Is it correct to say "borrow me your book"?
No, it should be "lend me your book" or "may I borrow your book?"
Can "lend" also imply contributing a quality?
Yes, for example, "His expertise lends credibility."
Which term is associated with the obligation to return?
Borrow is associated with the obligation to return.
From whose perspective is the action in "lend"?
The perspective of the one giving or providing.
Lend or Borrow?
Lend means to give temporarily.
Can you "borrow to" someone?
No, you "lend to" someone and "borrow from" someone.
Do you lend or borrow an idea from another source?
You borrow an idea from another source.
If I give my friend my coat, did I lend or borrow?
You lent your coat.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
