Borrower
/ˈbɒrəʊər/
nounBeginner📊CommonPerson
1 meaning2 questions
Definitions
1
A person who receives something from another with the intention of returning it.
/ˈbɒrəʊər/
nounneutralBeginner
Person
A person who borrows something.
He is a responsible borrower.
💡 Simply: Someone who takes something from someone else and plans to give it back.
More Examples
2
The borrower defaulted on the loan.
How It's Used
Finance
"The bank carefully assesses each borrower's creditworthiness before approving a loan."
Library
"The library borrower returned the overdue books."
From Middle English borower, from Old English borgere, from borg ‘pledge, surety’ + -ere ‘agent noun suffix’.
The word 'borrower' has consistently referred to someone who takes something with the promise to return it, although the context (financial, library, etc.) has evolved with time.
Memory tip
Think of someone borrowing a 'row' of books from the library.
Word Origin
LanguageOld English
Original meaning
"One who gives a pledge or surety"
responsible borrowercreditworthy borrowerdefaulting borrower
Common misspellings
borowerborowerer
Practice
Usage
40%Spoken
60%Written