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Meaning & use

loaner

noun·EverydayAmericaninformal

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UK/ˈləʊnə/
US/ˈloʊnər/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableAmericaninformal

    A car or other item that a business lends you for a short time while yours is being repaired.

    Grammar: Plural: loaners. Often used as a noun modifier: a loaner car.

    Patterns

    • a loaner car
    • get a loaner

    The garage gave me a loaner while they fixed my brakes.

    He drove a loaner for three days.

    Ask whether the repair shop offers loaners.

  2. nouncountableAmericaninformal

    Something that is lent out temporarily, such as a tool, a book, or equipment.

    Grammar: Often used before a noun: loaner laptop.

    Patterns

    • a loaner laptop
    • a loaner tool

    The school keeps a few loaner laptops for students.

    I used a loaner phone while mine was in for service.

    The library has loaner headphones at the desk.

  3. nouncountablerare

    A person who lends something, especially money or property, to another person.

    Grammar: Rare in this sense; lender is much more common.

    The loaner asked for the book back by Friday.

    Each loaner signed a form before handing over the tools.

    A friendly loaner let us keep the ladder for a week.

Word forms

pluralloaners

Common combinations

loaner car
They gave us a loaner car for the weekend.
loaner laptop
I borrowed a loaner laptop for my trip.
get a loaner
You can get a loaner if the repair takes more than a day.
return the loaner
Please return the loaner by noon.

Synonyms and how they differ

courtesy car
Courtesy car is the British wording for a car a garage lends you, while loaner is the American term.
replacement
A replacement is a permanent substitute, whereas a loaner is temporary and must be returned.
lender
A lender is the person who lends something, so it is a different role from the item itself.

Word family

loan noun
something lent, especially money
loan verb
to lend something, especially in American English
lender noun
a person or company that lends
loanee noun
the person who receives a loan; rare

Commonly confused: loaner or loner? loaner or lender?

loaner vs loner

A loner is someone who prefers to be alone; the spelling is close to loaner but the meaning is unrelated.

loaner vs lender

A lender is the one who lends; a loaner is usually the item being lent.

Practice

While the dealership fixed my engine, they gave me a ___ to drive.

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