lease 1 of 2

lease

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verb

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

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

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
Noun
The company’s strong top and bottom line beat and guidance was so notable because in the weeks leading up to earnings, several media reports suggested Microsoft could be pulling back on its data center commitments and canceling leases, a sign of falling demand. Paulina Likos, CNBC, 7 May 2025 Delays can mean broken leases, bad reviews, or worse. William Jones, USA Today, 7 May 2025
Verb
That afternoon, while alone in his apartment and on a FaceTime call with his girlfriend, a leasing agent at Elan Apartments called the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office, reporting a possible domestic disturbance, the lawsuit said. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 7 May 2025 The argument was later settled in a deal that saw Ukraine leasing the base to Russia in exchange for stable gas prices. Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lease
Noun
  • Laundry sanitizer differs from chlorine bleach, which also has disinfecting properties.
    Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 May 2025
  • Trinh had been upset about past instances of livestock getting over the fence into his yard and had threatened to shoot any animals that entered his property, his neighbor told the deputies.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • Another option would be renting out rather than selling your home.
    Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2025
  • Private villas were rented and transformed into extravagant replicas of the movies’ opulent Capitol, complete with servers in eccentric wigs, chocolate fountains that flowed for hours and enough colorful macarons to feed a small city.
    Kyle Buchanan, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Verb
  • Veteran journalist and programmer Fionnuala Halligan has been hired as the Red Sea Film Festival’s Director of International Programmes.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 14 May 2025
  • The University of Utah also stated that its police department hired a crime data analyst, Nikol Mitchell, in 2022, who discovered that the school had a cold case that had been lost for almost 20 years.
    David Chiu, People.com, 14 May 2025
Noun
  • The patient will drink a solution that microbes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract metabolize.
    Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 16 May 2025
  • Urinary tract infections, or UTIs, are common infections caused by bacteria in the urinary tract.
    Brittany Dube, Health, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • Despite all the headlines, Tate says developments are still going to come out of the ground — including his own.
    Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2025
  • The group has speakers, field trips and other activities that promote the development of skills and friendships.
    Deb Harvell, Arkansas Online, 11 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lease. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on lease

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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