To lend means to give something to someone temporarily, with the understanding that they'll return it later. When you lend your friend a pencil during class, you expect to get it back at the end of the period. When a library lends you a book, you need to return it by the due date.

Banks lend money to people who want to buy houses or start businesses. The borrower pays back the loan over time, usually with extra money called interest as a fee for using the bank's money. Your parents might lend you money for something special, expecting you to pay it back from your allowance.

The word also appears in expressions like lend a hand, which means to help someone. If your teacher asks you to lend a hand moving desks, she's asking you to help, not literally to give her your hand.

People sometimes confuse lend with borrow. Remember: you lend to someone (you're giving), but you borrow from someone (you're receiving). You lend your bike to your neighbor; your neighbor borrows it from you.

The past tense is lent: “I lent Marco my calculator yesterday.”