rent

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈrent 

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

b

: economic rent

see also:

for rent

rent

2 of 5

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

ˌren-tə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

rentable

ˈren-tə-bəl 

adjective

rent

3 of 5

past tense and past participle of rend

rent

4 of 5

noun (2)

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

rentability

5 of 5

noun

rent·​abil·​i·​ty ˌrentəˈbilətē 

: the quality or state of being rentable

Synonyms of rent

Verb

• lease

Noun (2)

• tear
• slit
• slash

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.

Noun (2)

getting her skirt caught on a nail resulted in a four-inch rent that she couldn't possibly repair

peered through the rent in the old garden wall for a glimpse of her mysterious new neighbor

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The new agreement says the Travelers would pay $150,000 per year in rent over the first five years of the contract, followed by a hike every five years of either 4% or the increase in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. — Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 6 Aug. 2026

That’s what happened in New York—about 60,000 units are off the market because renovation costs can’t be recovered under rent regulations. — Fortune Editors, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026

Verb

For the first time, a company can sit directly on the rails, under its own regulatory permissions, without renting access through a sponsor bank. — Serhii Zakharov, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

The couple reportedly paid more than $670,000 to rent the entire estate, which is reportedly close to where Holland grew up. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 6 Aug. 2026

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 (2)

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 (2)

1525, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing rent

• economic rent
• for rent
• ground rent
• low-rent
• rack-rent
• rent-a-car
• rent-a-cop
• rent control
• rent strike

Rhymes for rent

• bent
• blent
• cent
• ent
• fent
• lent
• meant
• pent
• rente
• scent
• sent
• spent

Kids Definition

rent

1 of 4 noun

ˈrent 

: 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

-ə-bəl 

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