rent 1 of 2

1
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

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2

rent

2 of 2

verb

1
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

2
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
Off campus, rents range from $450 to $2,000 per month, depending on the location, building quality, utilities and number of roommates. Micky Horstman, Chicago Tribune, 19 Mar. 2025 Leading cloud infrastructure provider Amazon Web Services offers a Graviton Arm chip for rent that have become popular among large customers. Jordan Novet,dylan Butts, CNBC, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
However, when the landlord decided to rent the lower level to another tenant, the couple made the financially difficult choice of taking over the space themselves. Soo Kim, Newsweek, 18 Mar. 2025 Renters insurance is particularly important in California, where 44.5% of residents rent, the second largest percentage after New York state. Liz Knueven, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rent
Noun
  • There was applause, tears, children running amok and flowers being thrown in the air.
    Jessie Schiewe, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
  • In an emotional interview alongside Marino, who is seen wiping away tears, Watson, whose character has many scenes with A.B., reminisced about working with Braugher and the shock of his death.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Supply chain bottlenecks and shortages of critical components—such as semiconductors and specialized machinery—have further driven up prices, highlighting the substantial gap between current book values and genuine replacement or reproduction costs.
    Mark Le Dain, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • The Liverpool midfielder then finds Alvarez in the gap between Nandez and Araujo.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Moving them to the stadium, hotel clusters, fan fest and other destinations will be a new experience for the city, which has leased 200 buses.
    Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2025
  • In 2022, Mayor Todd Gloria recommended the city buy out the Ash Street and Civic Center Plaza leases for 100 cents on the dollar.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Maryland will hire a new athletic director, and that person will have the chance to decide what kind of department the state’s flagship university should have.
    Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2025
  • When testing someone, Ari stays in frequent communication with the person who hired her.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Lighter scratches only touch the surface while moderate to deep scratches can usually be felt by sticking your fingernail in the slit to determine how deep the scratch really is.
    Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2025
  • The look featured a strapless black dress with a thigh-high slit.
    Julia Teti, WWD, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Bolster burn barrel safety: If burning is permitted in your area, ensure that all burn barrels have a weighted metal cover, complete with holes no larger than 3/4 of an inch.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Paint the wall, put holes in the wall, hang up pictures.
    Bryce Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The audience ate from his palms, which were covered by the extra long sleeves of his blue shirt with asymmetrical slashes of black sheer fabric.
    Marcus Thompson II, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The funding slash comes on the heels of other cuts under new Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including the canceling of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for research into vaccine hesitancy, LGBTQ populations and supporting HIV prevention.
    Brandy Zadrozny, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Continue reading here Lakers box score NBA scores NBA standings ANGELS Sean Burke pitched six sparkling innings and Will Venable got his first win as a big league manager Thursday, directing the Chicago White Sox to an 8-1 victory over the Angels on opening day.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • As Major League Baseball teams around the country were preparing their fields for Thursday's opening day, the Kansas City Royals decided to call up SB Mowing.
    Will Ujek, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rent. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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