lease 1 of 2

1
as in to rent
to give the possession and use of (something) in return for periodic payment the landlord was willing to lease the apartment for less than we had expected

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to hire
to take or get the temporary use of (something) for a set sum I couldn't afford to buy a car outright, so I decided to lease one instead

Synonyms & Similar Words

lease

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word lease different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of lease are charter, hire, let, and rent. While all these words mean "to engage or grant for use at a price," 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

When would charter be a good substitute for lease?

In some situations, the words charter and lease are roughly equivalent. However, charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

How are the words hire and let related as synonyms of lease?

Both 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

In what contexts can rent take the place of lease?

Although the words rent and lease have much in common, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lease
Verb
The Star on Wednesday briefly spoke with the restaurant owner, who said there was an issue with the lease. Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2025 Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a news release that the historic college, located at 2503 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., is open in the West End community after recent renovations and a lease agreement with the West Louisville Performing Arts Academy. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 17 July 2025
Noun
The city leased most of the 600 acres to develop what became the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club and golf course. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2025 The county is leasing the houses, which are all in unincorporated areas of the county, for about $20,000 per month for all three, Nava said. Theresa Clift july 18, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for lease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lease
Verb
  • Owners rent their villas in weekly blocks, with rates ranging from $393 per night (Great House Villas) to $7,663 per night for stand-alone villas.
    Paula Conway, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • But if a real estate investment isn’t in the cards at the moment, settle for the next best thing by renting one of the many villas currently listed on Airbnb.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • With less than a month before school begins, Gary Community School Corp. staffers made one thing clear during Thursday’s school board meeting – the district is hiring.
    Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2025
  • The Sisters of Bon Secours – the nuns who ran the home from 1925 to 1961 – hired a consulting company that denied a mass grave altogether, saying there was no evidence children had been buried there.
    Kara Fox, CNN Money, 13 July 2025
Noun
  • Sanchez-Gomez, the litigation director for the Giffords Law Center, said property owners have always had the ability to restrict weapons.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 19 July 2025
  • Although foreign property ownership is legal in most of the countries on this list, the buying process can present all kinds of complications and costs.
    William P. Barrett, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
Noun
  • The hospital also had a failing score for urinary tract infections from catheters.
    Scott Schwebke, Oc Register, 12 July 2025
  • That could negate the need for costly and invasive methods of GI tract investigation – like endoscopy and computerized tomography (CT) – that can only be used in hospitals.
    Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 12 July 2025
Noun
  • In true Georgia fashion, this development is insane.
    Tom Smyth, Vulture, 23 July 2025
  • The baby gear industry is reliant on global distribution and manufacturing, explains Siobhan Adcock, director of baby content development at Consumer Reports.
    ​Wendy Wisner, Parents, 22 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lease. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.

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