noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈbɔɹəʊə/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˈbɑɹoʊɚ/
CMU ARPABET:B AA1 R OW0 ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
One who borrows.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
a library borrower’s card
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
someone who receives something on the promise to return it or its equivalent
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: lender
Broader terms: recipient, receiver
Narrower terms: freeloader
History
Etymology
From Middle English borower, borewer, borwere, equivalent to borrow + -er (agent suffix).
Across languages
Translations
92 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
huamarrës
— one who borrows
Arabic:
مُسْتَعِير
(mustaʕīr)
— one who borrows
Arabic:
مُسْتَعِيرَة
(mustaʕīra)
— one who borrows
Arabic:
مُقْتَرِض
(muqtariḍ)
— one who borrows
Arabic:
مُقْتَرِضَة
(muqtariḍa)
— one who borrows
Armenian:
վարկառու
(varkaṙu)
— one who borrows
Azerbaijani:
borcalan
— one who borrows
Belarusian:
пазыча́льнік
(pazyčálʹnik)
— one who borrows
Belarusian:
пазыча́льніца
(pazyčálʹnica)
— one who borrows
Bulgarian:
заемополуча́тел
(zaemopolučátel)
— one who borrows
Catalan:
manllevador
— one who borrows
Chinese Mandarin:
借款人
(jièkuǎnrén)
— one who borrows
Chinese Mandarin:
借用人
(jièyòngrén)
— one who borrows
Czech:
vypůjčovatel
— one who borrows
Czech:
vypůjčovatelka
— one who borrows
Czech:
dlužník
— one who borrows
Czech:
dlužnice
— one who borrows
Danish:
låntager
— one who borrows
Dutch:
lener
— one who borrows
Esperanto:
prunteprenanto
— one who borrows
Estonian:
laenaja
— one who borrows
Finnish:
lainaaja
— one who borrows
Finnish:
lainanottaja
— one who borrows
French:
emprunteur
— one who borrows
French:
emprunteuse
— one who borrows
Georgian:
მსესხებელი
(msesxebeli)
— one who borrows
German:
Kreditnehmer
— one who borrows
German:
Entleiher
— one who borrows
Greek:
δανειολήπτης
(daneiolíptis)
— one who borrows
Hebrew:
לֹוֶה
(lové)
— one who borrows
Hungarian:
kölcsönző
— one who borrows
Icelandic:
lántakandi
— one who borrows
Indonesian:
peminjam
— one who borrows
Irish:
iasachtaí
— one who borrows
Italian:
mutuatario
— one who borrows
Italian:
mutuataria
— one who borrows
Japanese:
借り手
(karite)
— one who borrows
Kazakh:
қарызгер
(qaryzger)
— one who borrows
Kazakh:
қарыз алушы
(qaryz aluşy)
— one who borrows
Khmer:
អ្នកខ្ចី
(nĕək khcəy)
— one who borrows
Korean:
차용자
(chayongja)
— one who borrows
Korean:
대출자
(daechulja)
— one who borrows
Kyrgyz:
карыз алуучу
(karız aluucu)
— one who borrows
Kyrgyz:
зайымчы
(zayımcı)
— one who borrows
Kyrgyz:
зайым алуучу
(zayım aluucu)
— one who borrows
Lao:
ຜູ້ຢືມ
(phū yư̄m)
— one who borrows
Latvian:
aizņēmējs
— one who borrows
Lithuanian:
pasiskolintojas
— one who borrows
Lithuanian:
skolininkas
— one who borrows
Macedonian:
заемопримач
(zaemoprimač)
— one who borrows
Malay:
peminjam
— one who borrows
Middle English:
borwere
— one who borrows
Mongolian:
зээлдэгч
(zeeldegč)
— one who borrows
Norman:
emprunteux
— one who borrows
Norwegian Bokmål:
låntaker
— one who borrows
Iranian Persian:
قَرْض کُنَنْدِه
(ġarz konande)
— one who borrows
Polish:
pożyczkobiorca
— one who borrows
Portuguese:
mutuário
— one who borrows
Portuguese:
mutuária
— one who borrows
Portuguese:
recebedor
— one who borrows
Portuguese:
recebedora
— one who borrows
Romanian:
debitor
— one who borrows
Romanian:
debitoare
— one who borrows
Romanian:
împrumutat
— one who borrows
Romanian:
împrumutată
— one who borrows
Russian:
заёмщик
(zajómščik)
— one who borrows
Russian:
заёмщица
(zajómščica)
— one who borrows
Russian:
беру́щий взаймы́
(berúščij vzajmý)
— one who borrows
Russian:
беру́щий в долг
(berúščij v dolg)
— one who borrows
Scots:
borraer
— one who borrows
Serbo-Croatian:
зајмопри́мац
— one who borrows
Serbo-Croatian:
zajmoprímac
— one who borrows
Slovak:
dlžník
— one who borrows
Slovak:
dlžníčka
— one who borrows
Slovene:
posojilojemalec
— one who borrows
Spanish:
prestatario
— one who borrows
Swahili:
mkopaji
— one who borrows
Swedish:
låntagare
— one who borrows
Tajik:
қарзгиранда
(qarzgiranda)
— one who borrows
Tajik:
қарзбардор
(qarzbardor)
— one who borrows
Tajik:
қарзгир
(qarzgir)
— one who borrows
Tajik:
вомгир
(vomgir)
— one who borrows
Thai:
ผู้ยืม
(pûu-yʉʉm)
— one who borrows
Turkish:
borçlu
— one who borrows
Turkish:
borç alan
— one who borrows
Turkish:
ödünç alan
— one who borrows
Turkmen:
karz alyjy
— one who borrows
Ukrainian:
позича́льник
(pozyčálʹnyk)
— one who borrows
Ukrainian:
позича́льниця
(pozyčálʹnycja)
— one who borrows
Uyghur:
قەرز ئالغۇچى
(qerz alghuchi)
— one who borrows