lease

¹

[lees]

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.

verb (used with object)

leased, leasing 

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)

leased, leasing 

1. to grant a lease; let or rent.

   to lease at a lower rental.

lease

²

[lees]

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.

lease

¹

/ 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

verb

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

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

lease

²

/ liːz /

noun

1. dialect,  open pasture or common

lease

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

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; lax

Origin of lease²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lease¹

C15: via Anglo-French from Old French lais (n), from laissier to let go, from Latin laxāre to loosen

Origin of lease²

Old English lǣs; perhaps related to Old Norse lāth property

Idioms and Phrases

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.

see new lease on life.

Example Sentences

A new lease agreement with CoreWeave for 150 megawatts at Polaris Forge 1 fully leases the North Dakota campus.

Read more on Barron's

Panigrahi believes Oracle can turn to a combination of debt, vendor financing, leasing and other “creative partnership structures” to address this issue.

Read more on MarketWatch

But as the gap between in-place rents and new leases grows, the financial incentive to move will rise.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Musk’s company signed a lease on the building in March 2024.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

At the same time, the company faced “mounting funded debt and lease obligations,” the filing said, and these factors all “snowballed into a liquidity crisis.”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• charter 
• hire 
• rent out www.thesaurus.com
• sublet