lien

noun

ˈlēn  ˈlē-ən 

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

Your local recording office also keeps other documents that can affect a property, including mortgages, liens, judgments and easements. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026

The state should have to individually make cases to collect the money rather than automatically applying liens. — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026

Any property sold at auction in bankruptcy court would be free and clear of liens and interests, such as claims and titles, Bright Willie said. — San Antonio Express-News, 30 Sep. 2026

Interest accrues at 18% against the building’s property tax account, and a large unpaid lien could put its mortgage at risk, even though co-op boards have none of DOF’s collection or enforcement powers. — Michael Wolfe, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for lien

• bean
• bein
• bien
• bouin
• clean
• deen
• diene
• gene
• glean
• jean
• keen
• mean

Kids Definition

lien

noun

ˈlēn  ˈlē-ən 

: 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

li·​en ˈlī-ən, ˈlī-ˌen 

: spleen

lienal

-ᵊl 

adjective

Legal Definition

lien

noun

ˈlēn 

: 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