borrower

borrower — noun

1. a person, company, or other group that takes money or another thing for a time a

1.nounB2
Definition

a person, company, or other group that takes money or another thing for a time and must give it back later

Example

The bank checked Hana's income before approving her as a borrower.

finance pattern: approve someone as a borrower

After the fire destroyed their stores, several shop owners were borrowers at the town bank.

Common collocations
  • approve a borrower
  • first-time borrower
  • private borrower
  • student borrower
  • reliable borrower
Synonyms
  • debtor

    More formal and focused on owing money, not on borrowing objects in general.

  • loanee

    Less common in general English; often used in sports for a player sent to another team for a period.

Antonyms
  • lender

    The person or group that gives the money or item.

  • creditor

    A formal word for someone who is owed money.

Usage Note

Most often used in financial contexts, especially for bank loans, mortgages, and credit. For books or small personal items, English speakers often just say who borrowed the item instead of using borrower as a fixed label.

Common Mistakes

The bank was the borrower in the car loan.
The bank was the lender in the car loan.
The borrower receives the money; the lender gives it.
I lent Leo my bike, so I was the borrower.
I lent Leo my bike, so I was the lender.
A borrower takes something; a lender gives it.

Word family

  • borrow
    verbB1
  • borrowing
    nounB2
  • borrowed
    adjectiveB2
  • lender
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Borrower is the normal everyday word for a person or group that takes money or another thing and must return it later. Debtor is more formal and mainly stresses that money is owed, so someone can be a debtor even without a clear act of borrowing in everyday language. Lessee is a legal word for someone using property under a lease, usually for longer use and regular payment. Loanee is uncommon in general English and appears most often in sports, especially for a player temporarily sent to another club. For a bank loan, a library laptop, or money from a village fund, borrower is usually the best choice.

debtorlesseeloanee

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bank borrower
  • mortgage borrower
  • student borrower
  • loan borrower

Phrases

  • borrower and lender
  • approve a borrower
  • first-time borrower

Prepositions

  • borrower from [a bank/lender]
  • borrower of [money/books]

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Borrower was formed in English from borrow and the suffix -er, which is used for a person or thing that does an action. The verb borrow goes back to Old English borgian, a word linked to the idea of a pledge or guarantee. From that, borrower came to mean the person or group that receives something for a time and is expected to return it.