sublet

American  

[suhb-let, suhb-let, suhb-let] / sʌbˈlɛt, ˈsʌbˌlɛt, sʌbˈlɛt /

verb (used with object)

sublet, subletting

1. to sublease.

2. to let under a subcontract.

   to sublet work.

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noun

1. a sublease.

2. a property obtained by subleasing, as an apartment.

sublet British  

verb

1. to grant a sublease of (property)

2. to let out (work, etc) under a subcontract

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noun

1. informal a sublease

Etymology

Origin of sublet

First recorded in 1760–70; sub- + let ¹

Explanation

When you rent an apartment by taking over another person's lease, instead of renting directly from a landlord, you sublet. You can also say the person sublets the apartment to you. As a noun, sublet refers both to the lease agreement and to the property itself: "I'm living in a tiny sublet right next to the train tracks." The formal, legal word for this is sublease, but it's more common for renters to use the informal sublet instead. Being able to sublet to another person makes it possible for a renter to leave an apartment without breaking their lease.

Example Sentences

Sublet plans to appeal the decision, said her attorney, Zachary Stern.

From Washington Times • Feb. 16, 2020

One day, I see a woman named Alessandra Sublet on television and pronounce her name “sublet,” as in what you do to an apartment, achieving a sort of reverse Tar-zhay effect.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 1, 2016

Gaven Sublet, 25, also was a member of the John Horn High School group of friends, said his grandmother, Dorothy Sublet.

From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2016

“The Best of Everything” is part of Here’s Sublet Series, which allows artists to develop and perform work, at a discount.

From New York Times • Oct. 7, 2012

Sublet, sub-let′, v.t. to under-let or lease, as by one himself a tenant to another.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

Related Words

• appoint
• bring in
• draft
• employ
• engage
• enlist
• lease
• obtain
• pick
• promise
• rent
• retain
• select