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

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
Delta will take over the lease for the Spirit gates until June 30, 2031, when Spirit’s lease was set to expire. — Kelly Yamanouchi, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Each of the big three carriers has been estimated to operate between 45,000 and 90,000 outdoor small sites, according to Steel In The Air, which tracks cell lease negotiations. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
Like Airpark Plaza, the shopping plaza was fully leased when Publix acquired it. — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 Instead, revenue protection mode—according to the DOJ—prioritized maintaining revenue by leasing fewer apartments at higher prices. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lease
Noun
  • Ramirez, who once taught snowboarding at the resort and has held other jobs there, admits he feels emotionally attached to the property.
    — Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Walczak’s estimates assume local governments raise tax rates enough to fully replace the lost revenue, based on state property records for every parcel in Florida.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Most companies run those jobs on servers rented from AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • When Morris Costumes first opened, Charlotte had few places where people could buy or rent costumes.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Jennifer Shuford, who had been Texas’s health commissioner, was part of a team hired to restore confidence in the agency.
    — Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Spoelstra and May became even closer when the Heat hired his son, Jack May, as a video room intern a few years ago.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Settlers bypassed local tribal bands and elevated a single Montaukett sachem to sign away vast tracts of land.
    — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Toxic haze has covered parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Borneo and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Applications could range from assessing the impact of an earthquake by comparing imagery before and after an event to monitoring changes in infrastructure or identifying developments in a sensitive area.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Its Remote Intercept Guidance 360 (RIG-360) program has completed a major flight test and several development milestones within months.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lease. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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