lease 1 of 2

Definition of leasenext

lease

2 of 2

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

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
Senate Bill 257 would largely end no-fault evictions, which typically occur at the end of a lease. Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026 Real estate signs now hang on the property, signaling it is available for sale or lease. Glenn Counts, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
The market correction in the space, however, has been historic, according to Travis McCready, head of industries leasing advisory at JLL. Diana Olick, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026 The Radford Studio lot was only 61% leased as of September with about half of the remaining leases scheduled to expire through this year, according to mortgage filings. Bloomberg, Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lease
Noun
  • He was reportedly apprehended at one of his family’s many properties in the city, no manhunt necessary.
    Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The 31-year-old man was charged Wednesday with malicious destruction of property and possessing substances to operate a meth lab.
    ABC News, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • His late father, Miguel Oceguera, emigrated from Mexico and rented a cot from a family friend in the basement downstairs in 1973.
    Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
  • For regular Americans, the stagflation debate is not abstract, showing up in every job search and in every monthly cost from utility bills to rent payments.
    Tristan Bove, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Therapist Sherry Gonzalez has kept her fourth-grade son at home, rescheduling work hours, hiring babysitters.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Microsoft, on the hook to provide an operating system for the still-in-development IBM PC 5150, licensed 86-DOS and hired Paterson to continue developing it, later buying the rights to 86-DOS outright.
    Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The 50 census tracts where tows occurred most were about 27% Black and 38% Hispanic, compared with 10% and 18% statewide.
    Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
  • For data center developers, a vast tract of land is just the first necessity.
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Together, the developments mark a turning point for the joint city-county agency, which has coordinated housing and services for people experiencing homelessness across the region for decades.
    Teresa Liu, Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The rapid development of AI, which now dominates so much public discussion, will surely be as transformative as the development of the steam engine or electrical power in earlier times.
    Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Lease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lease. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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