mortgage
Pluralmortgages
Verbmortgages, mortgaging, mortgaged
Pluralmortgages
Formsmortgages, mortgaging, mortgaged
- 1A loan to buy a house or land, where the lender can take the property if you do not pay it back.
Like borrowing money to buy a bike, but the shop can take the bike back if you stop paying.
They took out a mortgage to buy their first home.
A mortgage usually takes many years to pay off.
Note
- 2To borrow money by promising a house or land to the lender, who can take it if you do not pay.
Like using your bike as a promise: the shop lends you money but can take the bike if you stop paying.
They had to mortgage their farm to pay for the new barn.
He decided to mortgage the house and use the money to start a business.
Similarpledge
Note
- 3To get something you want now by giving up or risking something important in the future.
Like eating all your candy today and having none left for the rest of the week.
The government will mortgage the country's future if it keeps borrowing like this.
They mortgaged their happiness to chase quick success.
Similarsacrifice, jeopardize, pawn
Note
Less common meaning
- 4The state of being promised or held as a guarantee for a debt.
Note
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
It comes from Old French "mort gage," meaning "dead pledge." It was a translation of a Latin legal phrase, and the "gage" part came from a Frankish word meaning "pledge."