Meanings
plural borrowers
- One who borrows.
a library borrower’s card
3 more examples
But if other negative factors are operating simultaneously, or if the borrower's financial status is weak to start with, then one extra adverse development is more likely to affect returns on the loan.
1984, Journal of Banking & Finance, volume 8, page 158This term became popular from the late 1960s onwards, languages being neatly divided between borrowers and calquers.
2002, Manfred Görlach, Still More Englishes, page 144For most student loan issues, borrowers work with loan servicers hired by the department rather than directly with FSA staff.
2025 October 1, Annie Ma, “How the government shutdown will affect student loans, FAFSA and the Education Department”, in AP News
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nounsomeone who receives something on the promise to return it or its equivalent
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishborower
- Englishborrower
From Middle English borower, borewer, borwere, equivalent to borrow + -er (agent suffix).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُسْتَعِير, مُسْتَعِيرَة
- مُسْتَعِير (mustaʕīr)one who borrows
- مُسْتَعِيرَة (mustaʕīra)one who borrows
- مُقْتَرِض (muqtariḍ)one who borrows
- مُقْتَرِضَة (muqtariḍa)one who borrows
Bulgarian заемополуча́тел
- заемополуча́тел (zaemopolučátel)one who borrows
Catalan manllevador
- manllevadorone who borrows
Chinese Mandarin 借款人, 借用人
- 借款人 (jièkuǎnrén)one who borrows
- 借用人 (jièyòngrén)one who borrows
Czech vypůjčovatel, vypůjčovatelka
- vypůjčovatelone who borrows
- vypůjčovatelkaone who borrows
- dlužníkone who borrows
- dlužniceone who borrows
Danish låntager
- låntagerone who borrows
Dutch lener
- lenerone who borrows
Esperanto prunteprenanto
- prunteprenantoone who borrows
Estonian laenaja
- laenajaone who borrows
Finnish lainaaja, lainanottaja
- lainaajaone who borrows
- lainanottajaone who borrows
French emprunteur, emprunteuse
- emprunteurone who borrows
- emprunteuseone who borrows
German Kreditnehmer, Entleiher
- Kreditnehmerone who borrows
- Entleiherone who borrows
Greek δανειολήπτης
- δανειολήπτης (daneiolíptis)one who borrows
Hebrew לֹוֶה
- לֹוֶה (lové)one who borrows
Hungarian kölcsönző
- kölcsönzőone who borrows
Icelandic lántakandi
- lántakandione who borrows
Indonesian peminjam
- peminjamone who borrows
Irish iasachtaí
- iasachtaíone who borrows
Italian mutuatario, mutuataria
- mutuatarioone who borrows
- mutuatariaone who borrows
Japanese 借り手
- 借り手 (karite)one who borrows
Korean 차용자, 대출자
- 차용자 (chayongja)one who borrows
- 대출자 (daechulja)one who borrows
Latvian aizņēmējs
- aizņēmējsone who borrows
Lithuanian pasiskolintojas, skolininkas
- pasiskolintojasone who borrows
- skolininkasone who borrows
Malay peminjam
- peminjamone who borrows
Norwegian Bokmål låntaker
- låntakerone who borrows
Polish pożyczkobiorca
- pożyczkobiorcaone who borrows
Portuguese mutuário, mutuária
- mutuárioone who borrows
- mutuáriaone who borrows
- recebedorone who borrows
- recebedoraone who borrows
Romanian debitor, debitoare
- debitorone who borrows
- debitoareone who borrows
- împrumutatone who borrows
- împrumutatăone who borrows
Russian заёмщик, заёмщица
- заёмщик (zajómščik)one who borrows
- заёмщица (zajómščica)one who borrows
- беру́щий взаймы́ (berúščij vzajmý)one who borrows
- беру́щий в долг (berúščij v dolg)one who borrows
Slovak dlžník, dlžníčka
- dlžníkone who borrows
- dlžníčkaone who borrows
Spanish prestatario
- prestatarioone who borrows
Swahili mkopaji
- mkopajione who borrows
Swedish låntagare
- låntagareone who borrows
Thai ผู้ยืม
- ผู้ยืม (pûu-yʉʉm)one who borrows
Turkish borçlu, borç alan
- borçluone who borrows
- borç alanone who borrows
- ödünç alanone who borrows
Ukrainian позича́льник, позича́льниця
- позича́льник (pozyčálʹnyk)one who borrows
- позича́льниця (pozyčálʹnycja)one who borrows
Vietnamese người vay
- người vayone who borrows
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
borrower. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/borrower
“borrower.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/borrower. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “borrower,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/borrower.
Source: borrower on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.