lease

¹ American  

[lees] / lis /

noun

1. a contract renting land, buildings, etc., to another; a contract or instrument conveying property to another for a specified period or for a period determinable at the will of either lessor or lessee in consideration of rent or other compensation.

2. the property leased.

3. the period of time for which a lease is made.

   a five-year lease.

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verb (used with object)

• leases,
  present (3rd person singular)
• leased,
  past participle,  past
• leasing
  present participle

1. to grant the temporary possession or use of (lands, tenements, etc.) to another, usually for compensation at a fixed rate; let.

   She plans to lease her apartment to a friend.

2. to take or hold by lease.

   He leased the farm from the sheriff.

   Synonyms:

   hire, charter, rent

verb (used without object)

• leases,
  present (3rd person singular)
• leased,
  past participle,  past
• leasing
  present participle

1. to grant a lease; let or rent.

   to lease at a lower rental.

idioms

1. a new lease on life, a chance to improve one's situation or to live longer or more happily.

   Plastic surgery gave him a new lease on life.

lease ² American  

[lees] / lis /

noun

Textiles.

1. a system for keeping the warp in position and under control by alternately crossing the warp yarn over and under the lease rods.

2. the order of drawing in the warp ends.

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lease ¹ British  

/ liːs /

noun

1. a contract by which property is conveyed to a person for a specified period, usually for rent

2. the instrument by which such property is conveyed

3. the period of time for which it is conveyed

4. a prospect of renewed health, happiness, etc

   a new lease of life

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verb

1. to grant possession of (land, buildings, etc) by lease

2. to take a lease of (property); hold under a lease

lease ² British  

/ liːz /

noun

1. dialect open pasture or common

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lease Cultural  

1. A contract that grants possession of property for a specified period of time in return for some kind of compensation.

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lease More Idioms  

1. see new lease on life.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• leaser
  noun
• leasable
  adjective
• leaseless
  adjective
• unleasable
  adjective
• unleased
  adjective
• well-leased
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• leasing
  present
• leased
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• lease
  simple
• leases
  simple
• have leased
  perfect
• has leased
  perfect
• am leasing
  progressive
• are leasing
  progressive
• is leasing
  progressive
• have been leasing
  perfect progressive
• has been leasing
  perfect progressive

Past

• leased
  simple
• had leased
  perfect
• was leasing
  progressive
• were leasing
  progressive
• had been leasing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will lease
  simple
• will have leased
  perfect
• will be leasing
  progressive
• will have been leasing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of lease¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English les, from Anglo-French les, Old French lais, leis, noun derivative of lesser “to lease,” literally, “let go,” ultimately from Latin laxāre to release; see also lax

Origin of lease²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lese “length or coil of thread,” variant of lesh leash

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Explanation

To lease something is to borrow it in exchange for money. If you lease a car from a dealer, for example, you make payments and you get to drive the car, but at the end of the contract you have to give it back. As a noun, a lease is both the thing you are contracting to rent (the car itself is a lease) and the contract spelling out the terms of use — in other words, a rental agreement. Be sure to check the fine print on your apartment lease to avoid any unpleasant surprises when you move out — like owing money for painting over that hideous wallpaper in the living room.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lease leases leased leasing

The Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square has been saved from potential closure after signing a 25-year lease.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Skydance-owned Paramount Pictures has taken over the lease for the Bay Theater in Pacific Palisades and intends to reopen the cinema, which has been closed since the January 2025 Palisades fire last year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Until last year, a small extra fee allowed PIP claimants to lease luxury cars like BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Data-center REITs can offer a balance of income and growth because they own, operate or lease facilities that house servers and networking equipment, and yet trade like publicly listed stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

She signed the lease even though she didn’t have the money in the bank.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

If all of the 2026 leases offered had been purchased, the less than 700,000 acres would have been a small fraction of the more than 19 million acre wildlife refuge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

NCP's major problems included being locked into long-term leases with property owners and building up a large amount of debt.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

It also strengthens state oversight of existing leases by requiring additional scrutiny and waiting periods for renewals, extensions or changes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

By 2028, Blackledge’s team forecasts that AI computing-power leases will account for 65% of SpaceX’s overall revenue.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

She was familiar with these visits, despite what leases said about limited rights of entry, and she stepped back to let Mrs. Richardson get a better view.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, leased and operated by USC, will be a showcase site for the 2028 Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

It reports that persistently high fuel prices are forcing carriers to cut flights, axe costs and delay payments on leased aircraft.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

They have also poured money into property development, building homes and commercial spaces on council-owned land leased under favourable terms.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Those using leased carriers or independent trucks, which add their own fuel surcharges, are trying to get as close to a truckload as they can or limit smaller orders, she added.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

But long before the sound of their lowing and the sight of their preening, the building was leased to a Hungarian baker, modestly famous for his brioche and poppy-seed rolls.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

“The office market probably found its floor sometime last year, and we have seen some positive leasing momentum across the market.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

The director would be able to manage public works projects, including construction, buying or leasing property, exercising eminent domain with City Council approval, granting street permits, regulating parking and recommending budgets for the department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

A few booths away, leasing managers were handing out brochures for the Byline—a new luxury apartment building.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee believes Apple will be able to maintain a positive volume cycle even with price increases on its phones thanks to leasing, trade-ins and carrier subsidies.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

She waited until she received a check for several hundred dollars from the company that was leasing the drilling rights.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

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Related Words

• charter
• hire
• rent out
• sublet

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