1
: a charge upon real or personal property for the satisfaction of some debt or duty ordinarily arising by operation of law
The bank had a lien on our house.
2
: the security interest created by a mortgage
the lien of a mortgage

Examples of lien in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web If this condition of the title report is wrong (e.g., misses a lien recorded against the two-foot encroachment), the title insurance company has no liability. Christopher A. Combs, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024 Instead, the often-expensive projects are paid through a lien added to the property tax bill. Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 Portfolio Mix: Secured first lien assets continue to be over 70% of our debt investments, at cost, while the weighted average yield on debt investments was consistent at 13.9%. Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2024 Mosby said her now ex-husband, Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby, was repeatedly dishonest with her about the state of the couple’s finances, including about unpaid federal taxes that were jointly filed and a $45,000 lien from the Internal Revenue Service. Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2024 Earlier in the trial, an IRS officer testified that the agency sent the couple notice on 40 occasions of their tax debt and, later, the lien placed against their assets. Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 24 Jan. 2024 By filing the lien, the Department of Revenue Services is protecting the state’s interest if the hospital chain were to file for bankruptcy or be sold. Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024 Sometimes they are sold at auction, but rarely, and only after a lien has been placed on the boat in an effort to recover the overdue fees. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Jan. 2024 Jefferson Capital Systems, a company that bought the debt, has sued Detroiters, garnished paychecks and income tax returns and put liens on homes. Sarah Alvarez, ProPublica, 26 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lien.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French lien, loyen bond, restraint, from Latin ligamen, from ligare to bind — more at ligature

First Known Use

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lien was in 1531

Dictionary Entries Near lien

Cite this Entry

“Lien.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lien. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lien

noun
: a legal claim on the property of another person until he or she has met a certain obligation (as a debt)

Medical Definition

lien

noun
: spleen
lienal adjective

Legal Definition

lien

noun
: a charge or encumbrance upon property for the satisfaction of a debt or other duty that is created by agreement of the parties or especially by operation of law
specifically : a security interest created especially by a mortgage
assessment lien
: a lien that is on property benefiting from an improvement made by a municipality and that secures payment of the taxes assessed to pay for the improvement
attachment lien
: a lien acquired on property by a creditor upon levy of an attachment
carrier's lien
: a lien against freight conferring on the carrier the right to retain the property until the amount due is paid
charging lien
: a lien attaching to a judgment or recovery awarded to a plaintiff and securing payment of the plaintiff's attorney's fees and expenses

called also special lien

choate lien
: a lien that requires no further action to be made enforceable and that identifies the lienor, the property subject to the lien, and the amount of the lien
common-law lien
: a lien under common law giving a creditor (as a bailee) in possession of property the right to retain possession until payment of the amount due
equitable lien
: a lien against property that does not require possession of the property and that is available in equity to prevent unjust enrichment
factor's lien
: a lien against property held on consignment by a factor conferring the right to retain possession of the property until payment of the amount due

Note: A factor's lien is simply a security interest and, unlike a common-law lien, is enforceable even after the factor is no longer in possession of the property.

first lien
: a lien taking precedence over all other claims, charges, or encumbrances of the same general category but not necessarily over those (as taxes) imposed by government sanction
floating lien
: a lien created in a security agreement against property owned by the debtor at the time of the agreement's creation as well as property acquired after the agreement's creation
general lien
: a lien that is for the satisfaction of a balance due from an owner of property and that is not confined to the amount due in respect to the property itself
: retaining lien in this entry
inchoate lien
: a lien for which some procedure remains unfinished or some term remains undetermined
involuntary lien
: a lien that arises other than by the debtor's consent (as by operation of law)
judgment lien
: a lien acquired against the property of a debtor by a creditor upon obtaining a favorable judgment
judicial lien
: a lien obtained by a legal or equitable process (as judgment, levy, attachment, or execution)
junior lien
: a lien that is lower in priority relative to other liens
landlord's lien
: a lien against the goods and valuables of a tenant to secure payment of rent or sometimes repayment of money otherwise owed to a landlord
maritime lien
: a lien arising under maritime law against a ship or its cargo (as for services or supplies tendered or for damages caused by a collision) which may be enforced by a court-ordered seizure of the property in order to satisfy the obligation
materialman's lien \ mə-​ˈtir-​ē-​əl-​mənz-​ \
: a lien on property for materials supplied
mechanic's lien
: a lien against a building and its site to assure priority of payment for labor or services (as construction and sometimes design) or material
retaining lien
: a lien that attaches to the papers or property of a client which have come into his or her attorney's possession in the course of employment and that secures payment of the attorney's fees

called also general lien

senior lien
: a lien that is higher in priority relative to other liens
special lien
: an equitable lien enforceable to compel performance of an obligation (as under a divorce settlement)
: charging lien in this entry
specific lien
: a lien upon specific property as security for the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of some other obligation arising out of a transaction or agreement involving that property compare general lien in this entry
statutory lien
: a lien imposed by statute
tax lien
: a statutory lien on property for taxes due giving the taxing authority a security interest in the property compare tax sale at sale
vendor's lien
: a lien on especially real property securing payment in full of the purchase price by the buyer
voluntary lien
: a lien created (as by contract) with the consent of the debtor
Etymology

Anglo-French, bond, obligation, literally, tie, band, from Old French, from Latin ligamen, from ligare to bind

More from Merriam-Webster on lien

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