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lease

1
[ lees ]
/ lis /
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See synonyms for: lease / leased / leasing on Thesaurus.com
noun
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.
the property leased.
the period of time for which a lease is made: a five-year lease.
verb (used with object), leased, leas·ing.
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.
to take or hold by lease: He leased the farm from the sheriff.
verb (used without object), leased, leas·ing.
to grant a lease; let or rent: to lease at a lower rental.
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Idioms about lease

    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.

Origin of lease

1
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

OTHER WORDS FROM lease

Other definitions for lease (2 of 2)

lease2
[ lees ]
/ lis /
noun Textiles.
a system for keeping the warp in position and under control by alternately crossing the warp yarn over and under the lease rods.
the order of drawing in the warp ends.

Origin of lease

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lese “length or coil of thread,” variant of lesh leash
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to lease

charter, hire, rent out, sublet, let, loan, sublease

How to use lease in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lease (1 of 2)

lease1
/ (liːs) /
noun
a contract by which property is conveyed to a person for a specified period, usually for rent
the instrument by which such property is conveyed
the period of time for which it is conveyed
a prospect of renewed health, happiness, etca new lease of life
verb (tr)
to grant possession of (land, buildings, etc) by lease
to take a lease of (property); hold under a lease

Derived forms of lease

leasable, adjectiveleaser, noun

Word Origin for lease

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

British Dictionary definitions for lease (2 of 2)

lease2
/ (liːz) /
noun
dialect open pasture or common

Word Origin for lease

Old English lǣs; perhaps related to Old Norse lāth property
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for lease

lease

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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with lease

lease

see new lease on life.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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