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- verb
- noun 2
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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.
lease strictly implies a letting under the terms of a contract but is often applied to hiring on a lease.
rent stresses the payment of money for the full use of property and may imply either hiring or letting.
charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.
Examples of lease in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lease.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
Middle English les, from Anglo-French, from lesser
Verb
Anglo-French lesser, laisser, lescher to leave, hand over, lease, from Latin laxare to loosen, from laxus slack — more at slack
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
circa 1570, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing lease
Dictionary Entries Near lease
Cite this Entry
“Lease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lease. Accessed 5 Oct. 2024.
Kids Definition
Legal Definition
lease
1 of 2 nounNote: Article 2A of the Uniform Commercial Code, which governs leases where adopted, defines lease as “a transfer of the right to possession and use of goods for a term in return for consideration.”
Note: Under section 2A-103 of the Uniform Commercial Code, before the lessor signs the lease or the lease becomes effective, the lessee must receive a copy of or approve of the contract by which the goods were acquired or must receive a statement of terms (as warranties, disclaimers, and liquidated damages) relating to the contract or notification of where such information can be obtained.
called also building lease
called also mining lease
lease
2 of 2 verbNoun
Anglo-French les, from lesser to grant by lease, from Old French laisser to let go, from Latin laxare to loosen, from laxus slack
More from Merriam-Webster on lease
Nglish: Translation of lease for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of lease for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lease
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