When a property is held under mortgage, it means that the owner has secured a loan by pledging the property as collateral. Synonyms for this term include "encumbered," "mortgaged," "pledged," "secured," and "hypothecated." These words all indicate the same process of using a property to obtain a loan, though they may have slightly different implications depending on context. For example, "encumbered" implies that the property has some other form of financial liability in addition to a mortgage, while "secured" may refer more broadly to any type of collateral used to back a loan. Regardless of the wording, holding a property under mortgage is a common way to finance real estate purchases and expand investments.