on loan

adjective

Loaned or lent, not owned.

“She worked on loan from another agency.”

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Meanings

adjectiveon loan (not comparable)
  1. not comparableLoaned or lent, not owned.

    Bowman only hinted it was “on loan” from the Chatham Dockyard, so I didn't ask more.

    2014, N. Jay Young, A Ship's Tale, →ISBN
    3 more examples

    An ex-L.S.W.R. 0-6-0 goods engine, No. 0395, and a "Terrier" tank-engine, No. 2678, are now on loan.

    1947 May and June, “Notes and News: The Kent & East Sussex Railway Today”, in Railway Magazine, page 182

    Shortly thereafter Sugarman learned that the technology behind the pricey sunglasses wasn't on loan from NASA.

    2002, Lou Harry, Sam Stall, As Seen on TV, →ISBN

    As you generate your list of references check whether your library holds the books, and if so whether they are on loan.

    2003, Nicholas Clifford, Gill Valentine, Key Methods in Geography, →ISBN, page 27
adverbon loan (not comparable)
  1. not comparableLoaned or lent.

    She worked on loan from another agency.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 借
  • 借 (jiè)loaned or lent
French en prêt, à titre de prêt
  • en prêtloaned or lent
  • à titre de prêtloaned or lent
  • d'empruntloaned or lent
German leihweise
  • leihweiseloaned or lent
Hungarian kölcsönbe, kölcsön-
  • kölcsönbeloaned or lent
  • kölcsön-loaned or lent
Italian in prestito
  • in prestitoloaned or lent
Polish pożyczony
  • pożyczonyloaned or lent
Russian заимообразно
  • заимообразно (zaimoobrazno)loaned or lent
Spanish prestado
  • prestadoloaned or lent
Cite this entry
APA

on loan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20loan

MLA

“on loan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20loan. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on loan,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20loan.

Source: on loan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.