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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
Andrew might not move to Sandringham until after the Christmas holidays, another source said, because giving notice, surrendering the lease and orchestrating the move is expected to take some time. Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025 There are all kinds of variables to consider, including the number of people on the lease and whether the deceased was the victim of a crime. Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
The garden, located within the Tijuana River Valley Regional Park, spans more than 200 plots, including 10 quarter-acre farms leased for $324 to $1,600 per year. Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025 Over time, many of these new Asian residents of California had saved enough money to lease, rent, and even buy hard-to-cultivate land that no one else seemed to want. Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lease
Noun
  • Crews & Associates will be a tenant in one of three buildings on the property.
    Jon Walker, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The property was said to be a refuge for Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and Harry Nilsson, among others.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Gap owns the property at 30–31 Long Acre, and refused to rent it out, even after vacating in 2021 during the company-wide restructuring.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 6 Nov. 2025
  • That means a shopper getting 10% back on Rakuten could see more than 20% back in value through Bilt points — which can then be used toward flights, hotels, or even rent.
    Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Investigations found the voicemails of public figures were hacked by journalists and private investigators hired by publications who worked on the assumption that few people changed the default voicemail access code their handset came with.
    Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
  • When Bournemouth hired Iraola the following summer, Perez was invited to replace him but chose instead to accompany his pal to the Premier League.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • This is done through the retinohypothalamic tract, a pathway that connects your eyes to the brain’s master body clock, called the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
    Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Once inside the urinary tract, bacteria attach to the bladder lining, multiply and trigger inflammation – resulting in the hallmark symptoms of infection.
    Daryl Austin, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • And in Wednesday’s conference call to investors after posting third quarter results, Rosenfeld expressed caution in connection to where the firm chooses to source, even though the reduction in the tariff rate on China is a welcome development.
    Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 7 Nov. 2025
  • If carried through, the changes would be a major win for Big Tech and the US, which has pushed for minimal restrictions to promote development and maintain a lead over China.
    Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Lease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lease. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

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