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

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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

Examples of rent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But rent caps also encouraged some landlords to turn units into condos or demolish their properties, which reduced supply and probably pushed up rents citywide, according to the researchers. Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024 To prove it, Crane feigns interest in the space, goes to see the studio and gets a lower rent price. Erica Marrison, People.com, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
Due to the strict regulations that exist surrounding bank permits in China, SVB’s only real money-maker in the country at the time was renting out office space to U.S. venture capitalists who were coming to visit Chinese startups. Will Daniel, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2024 Both films are available to rent or purchase with Prime Video and Fandango at Home. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rent 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near rent

Cite this Entry

“Rent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rent. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.

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