rent

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: property (such as a house) rented or for rent
2
a
: a usually fixed periodical return made by a tenant or occupant of property to the owner for the possession and use thereof
especially : an agreed sum paid at fixed intervals by a tenant to the landlord
b
: the amount paid by a hirer of personal property to the owner for the use thereof
3
a
: the portion of the income of an economy (as of a nation) attributable to land as a factor of production in addition to capital and labor

rent

2 of 4

verb

rented; renting; rents

transitive verb

1
: to grant the possession and enjoyment of in exchange for rent
2
: to take and hold under an agreement to pay rent

intransitive verb

1
: to be for rent
2
a
: to obtain the possession and use of a place or article in exchange for rent
b
: to allow the possession and use of property in exchange for rent
rentability noun
rentable adjective

rent

3 of 4

past tense and past participle of rend

rent

4 of 4

noun

1
: an opening made by or as if by rending
2
: a split in a party or organized group : schism
3
: an act or instance of rending
Phrases
for rent
: available for use or service in return for payment
Choose the Right Synonym for rent

hire, let, lease, rent, charter mean to engage or grant for use at a price.

hire and let, strictly speaking, are complementary terms, hire implying the act of engaging or taking for use and let the granting of use.

we hired a car for the summer
decided to let the cottage to a young couple

lease strictly implies a letting under the terms of a contract but is often applied to hiring on a lease.

the diplomat leased an apartment for a year

rent stresses the payment of money for the full use of property and may imply either hiring or letting.

instead of buying a house, they decided to rent
will not rent to families with children

charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

Examples of rent in a Sentence

Verb We rented our friends' cottage for the month of August. Do you own or rent? We rented them the upstairs apartment in our house. The cottage rents for $400 a week.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Some Denver-area churches have declined to offer shelter to migrants, citing insurance and staffing costs, preferring to let city officials instead spend taxpayer money to rent hotel rooms. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2024 Housing experts agree there are not enough homes available to rent or own, compared to demand. Bryan Mena, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 International Living states that retirees here can rent a three-bedroom condo with sea views for as low as $380 per month and that, other than the cost of housing, a single person needs just $500 a month to pay for additional living expenses. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024 Schiff rented a private plane, stopping in seven cities in two days, including San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco and Salinas. Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 When renting people's backyards, Dickerson advised ensuring your pets are vaccinated. Abigail Celaya, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 The main issue during that June hearing was an incident in February 2023, in which an employee shot another man who rented space in the club’s kitchen. Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2024 At night, a hip crowd often takes over the mics in the karaoke rooms of Kapow in Mizner Park, which can be rented for private parties. Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 The symphony is permitted to hold 110 concerts and events annually at the venue, which has been rented out periodically to host private corporate events. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
Californians are burdened with some of the highest water rates in the country, and families at times must make difficult decisions about whether to pay the water bill, electricity or rent. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Many economists argue the official statistics in the consumer price index are delayed and aren’t yet accounting for real-time measures that show rents either stabilizing or falling nationwide. Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 New York’s Artist Buildings: Generations of creatives once flocked to the city seeking affordable rent. Mark Harris Rf. Alvarez, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Gebbia and Chesky made rent that month and were soon accepted into the famed startup accelerator, Y Combinator. Jordan McGillis, Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2024 That downtown corridor has become a hot dining and drinking destination over the past five years and the rent was scheduled to rise sharply when the former lease expired this month. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Mar. 2024 The shop also has bodyboards, wetsuits, chairs, beach bikes, umbrellas, beach carts, and stand-up paddleboards for rent. Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2024 Lockers and mobile charging units for rent in VIP lounge. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 27 Feb. 2024 The 2024 rate for a one-bedroom unit is $775, while for a two-bedroom unit fair market rent is $1,007. Eric Jennings, arkansasonline.com, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rent.' 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

Noun (1)

Middle English rente, from Anglo-French, payment, income, from Vulgar Latin *rendita, from feminine of *renditus, past participle of *rendere to yield — more at render

Noun

English dialect rent to rend, from Middle English, alteration of renden — more at rend

First Known Use

Noun (1)

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rent was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near rent

Cite this Entry

“Rent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rent

1 of 4 noun
: money paid for the use of property : a periodic payment made by a tenant to the owner for the use of the owner's property

rent

2 of 4 verb
1
: to take and hold property under an agreement to pay rent
2
: to give the possession and use of in return for rent
rented a cottage to friends
3
: to be for rent
the room rents for $40 a week
rentable adjective

rent

3 of 4

past and past participle of rend

rent

4 of 4 noun
1
: an opening (as in cloth) made by or as if by tearing
2
: an act or instance of tearing
Etymology

Noun

Middle English rente "income from property," from early French rente "payment, income," derived from Latin rendere "to yield"

Noun

from a dialect word rent "to tear," from Middle English renten, an altered form of renden "to tear, rend"

Legal Definition

rent

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a return made by a tenant or occupant of real property to the owner for possession and use thereof
especially : a sum of money agreed upon between a landlord and tenant for the use of real property
b
in the civil law of Louisiana : a contract by which one party conveys to another to hold as owner a tract of land or other immovable property in perpetuity in exchange for payment of an annual sum or quantity of fruits
c
: the amount paid by a hirer of personal property to the owner for the use thereof
d
: a royalty under a mineral lease
2
: the portion of the income of an economy (as of a nation) attributable to land as a factor of production in addition to capital and labor

rent

2 of 2 transitive verb
1
: to grant the possession and enjoyment of in exchange for rent
2
: to take and hold under an agreement to pay rent

intransitive verb

1
: to be for rent
2
a
: to obtain use and possession of a place or property in exchange for rent
b
: to allow the possession and use of property in exchange for rent
renter noun
also rentor
ˈren-tər

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