From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmortgagemort‧gage1 /ˈmɔːɡɪdʒ $ ˈmɔːr-/ ●●○ W3 noun [countable] 1 BFLa legal arrangement by which you borrow money from a bank or similar organization in order to buy a house, and pay back the money over a period of years Your building society or bank will help arrange a mortgage. They’ve taken out a 30-year mortgage (=they will pay for their house over a period of 30 years). We decided to use Fred’s redundancy money to pay off the mortgage (=pay back all the money we borrowed for a mortgage). Mortgage rates are set to rise again in the spring. She was having trouble meeting her mortgage payments.2 BFLthe amount of money you borrow in the form of a mortgage If you earn £20,000 per year, then you may be able to get a mortgage of £60,000.COLLOCATIONSverbshave a mortgageThey have a mortgage on a small house in North London.take out a mortgage (=borrow money to buy a house)We took out a 25-year mortgage.get a mortgageWe couldn't get a mortgage.pay/repay a mortgageIf I lose my job, we won't be able to pay the mortgage.pay off a mortgage (=finish paying all the money you owe)They paid off their mortgage five years early.fall/get behind with the mortgage (=be unable to pay enough money each month)He fell behind with the mortgage when he lost his job.adjectivesbig/highThey both need to work full-time because their mortgage is so big.cheap (=with a low interest rate)Homebuyers are eager to take advantage of the cheap mortgages on offer.mortgage + NOUNa mortgage paymentIf interest rates go down, your mortgage payments will fall.the mortgage rate (=the rate of interest you will pay on a mortgage)You need to shop around for a good mortgage rate.a mortgage lender (=a bank that provides mortgages)Nearly all mortgage lenders plan to raise their interest rates.
Examples from the Corpus
mortgage• We still have a $180,000 mortgage on the house.• The bank says we have to buy a life insurance policy before we can get a mortgage.• Anyone taking out a mortgage should be aware that interest rates can go up at any time.• Employees who are not at present house-owners may be entitled to a mortgage allowance in certain exceptional circumstances.• If asset-backed loans such as mortgages are included, that coverage jumps to 128. 4 percent.• Abbey National offer self-build mortgages, which can either be straight repayments or endowment or pension linked.• Make it compulsory or at least encourage lenders to process mortgage applications within two weeks.• Nick told me the mortgage on his apartment is worth about $90,000.• Remember the mortgage itself isn't a debt, and so the compensation scheme doesn't apply.• The mortgage department had neither friends nor profits.• The mortgage payment will be around six hundred dollars a month.• The thrifts paid a fee to have their mortgages guaranteed.• It took my parents nearly thirty years to pay off their mortgage.pay off ... mortgage• The Harrises were given two weeks to pay off mortgage arrears of £8,000.mortgagemortgage2 verb [transitive] 1 BFLif you mortgage your home, land, or property, you borrow money, usually from a bank, and if you cannot pay back the money within a particular period of time, the bank has the right to sell your property in order to get the money you owe it We mortgaged our house to start Paul’s business.2 → mortgage the/somebody’s future→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
mortgage• We mortgaged our house to start Paul's business.• Should you mortgage the family home?• It borrowed so heavily that the greater part of its peacetime revenue was mortgaged to service and repay its debt.From Longman Business Dictionarymortgagemort‧gage1 /ˈmɔːgɪdʒˈmɔːr-/ noun [countable]FINANCEBANKINGPROPERTY a legal arrangement where you borrow money from a financial institution in order to buy land or a house, and you pay back the money over a period of years. If you do not make your regular payments, the lender normally has the right to take the property and sell it in order to get back their moneyHe arranged a 30-year mortgage at 7% for the five-bedroom house.They took out a $100,000 mortgage (=obtained one) to pay for the property.He recently paid off his mortgage (=paid back all the money borrowed) because he fears that interest rates will rise. → adjustable-rate mortgage → balloon mortgage → capped-rate mortgage → direct-reduction mortgage → endowment mortgage → equitable mortgage → first mortgage → fixed-rate mortgage → legal mortgage → repayment mortgage → second mortgage → variable-rate mortgagemortgagemortgage2 verb [transitive]1FINANCEto give a financial institution the right to own your house, property, or land if you do not pay back the money they lent you within the agreed timeThey mortgaged their home for $65,000 to a life insurance company and gave the cash to their children.2be mortgaged to the hilt to have a very large mortgage in relation to the value of the property you own→ See Verb tableOrigin mortgage1 (1300-1400) Old French mort “dead” + gage “promise” 