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Definition of "lien" []

  • The right to take and hold or sell the property of a debtor as security or payment for a debt or duty. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "lien" in a sentence
  • "Top officials of major banks generally were reluctant to talk on the record about Cole's ideas, but Dan Frahm, a Bank of America spokesman, said his company's "approach has been not to let second lien issues prevent us from modifying" mortgages, including "making principal reductions, even when the second lien is owned by a third-party investor and has not been modified.""
  • "Not to mention embarrassed if the lien is publicized."
  • "The springing lien is just one component of what Mr. Dill called a "weak package" of bondholder protections, known as covenants, for the Momentive note issue, with "liberally crafted features typical of other private-equity sponsored transactions.""