Thesaurus results for RENT

Q: How is the word 'rent' different from other verbs like it?

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

Q: Where would 'charter' be a reasonable alternative to 'rent'?

The words charter and rent can be used in similar contexts, but charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use. // charter a bus to go to the game

Q: How are the words 'hire' and 'let' related as synonyms of 'rent'?

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

Q: When would 'lease' be a good substitute for 'rent'?

The meanings of lease and rent largely overlap; however, 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 1 of 2

noun

Definition of rent

as in tear

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in gap

an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge) peered through the rent in the old garden wall for a glimpse of her mysterious new neighbor

Synonyms & Similar Words

rent

2 of 2

verb

as in to lease

to give the possession and use of (something) in return for periodic payment we rented the apartment to a college student for $500 a month

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to hire

to take or get the temporary use of (something) for a set sum will need to rent a car while we're in Europe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

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

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

Where would charter be a reasonable alternative to rent?

The words charter and rent can be used in similar contexts, but 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 rent?

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

When would lease be a good substitute for rent?

The meanings of lease and rent largely overlap; however, 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

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 rent

Noun

Sire then paid her a flat fee of $125 (her rent at the time) for the image. — Tina Eves, SPIN, 8 July 2026 Zohran Mamdani got his rent freeze, and the grocery-store pilots are on the way. — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 8 July 2026

Verb

In New York, Anthropic agreed to rent a property in downtown Manhattan as part of plans to double its headcount in the city, the New York Times reported this week. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 9 July 2026 Landman estimates that renting out MSG for three or four days would amount to less than $10 million. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for rent

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rent

Noun

Messi, visibly emotional, removed his shirt to wipe tears from his eyes.

— Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026
Ronaldo, 41, one of the most legendary scorers in the history of soccer, burst into tears, soaking up the final moments of the game.

— Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of tear

Noun

That gap means people who don’t have consistent access to healthy food also aren’t getting help.

— Laura Horne, Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2026
The report also estimates that of the 75 million global garment and textile workers, 75 percent of that workforce are women facing a 41 percent wage gap versus the adequate standard of living, as of 2025.

— Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 10 July 2026

Definition of gap

Verb

Local first-quarter net absorption, the difference between space leased and vacated, and often a sign of turnover, was a negative 179,000 square feet.

— Hang Nguyen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026
The district can lease the property, but even then, the tenant can not run any sort of gambling operation on the site.

— Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2026

Definition of lease

Noun

His mother, who spent time in jail and rehab due to drug addiction, testified Colt repeatedly damaged their home, broke TVs and cut slits into furniture.

— Devon M. Sayers, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
The French label also brought back the 2010’s black jean with double knee slits.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 9 July 2026

Definition of slit

Noun

Mozeliak said the Angels should not consider a trade proposal in isolation, without considering how to flex their major-market muscles to fill whatever hole a trade might create.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
The difference between these two measurements gives the exciton binding energy, a key quantity that determines how strongly the electron and hole remain bound together.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 5 July 2026

Definition of hole

Noun

The elegant, minimalist light pendants feel very Japanese, as do the large tatami mat–slash–window seats and ceramic wall hangings repaired with gold à la kintsugi.

— Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
Guitars provide brief, jagged slashes of color, but the spotlight stays trained on Strummer and his end-times tale.

— Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

Definition of slash

Noun

In their opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jesse Marsch’s side repeatedly played the ball short but kept several players in the box to draw the Bosnian defence out and find an open man.

— Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
Vets were also treated to a block party after the opening with food and Phillies swag.

— Dan Snyder, CBS News, 14 July 2026

Definition of opening

Browse Nearby Words

renowns

rent

rentable

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Style

“Rent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rent. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of rent

noun

verb

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