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
• leaseless adjective
• leaser noun
• 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

Companies such as CoreWeave that lease data centers and rent the servers to tech companies have borrowed heavily to fund their expansion.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But it will start with a four-year lease term, with options to renew every four years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The suit said competing landlords shared nonpublic information — such as occupancy and rents on executed leases — with RealPage, which then used that data to recommend rents at individual properties.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Wind and solar projects have brought jobs, tax revenue and steady lease payments to rural counties that have been losing both population and farm income for decades.

Read more on Salon

It had collapsed under the weight of costly long-term property leases without enough revenue from customers to cover them.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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