on loan

phrase

: borrowed from someone or something for a period of time
This painting is on loan from the National Gallery.
an actor on loan from another sitcom
Some of the workers were on loan as temporary staff.

Examples of on loan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jeremy Jacquet looks like a decent replacement for Ibrahima Konate and getting Ronald Araujo on loan provides extra cover given the defensive injuries. — James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026 For over 50 years, the artwork was held at the Lenbachhaus museum in Munich, on loan from a Bavarian bank. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The necklace was on loan from Van Cleef & Arpels, the French jewelry house that designed it for Egypt’s Queen Nazli in the 1930s. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for on loan

Rhymes for on loan

See All Rhymes for on loan

Browse Nearby Words

onload
on loan
onlooker
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“On loan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20loan. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All