sublet
Americannoun
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a sublease.
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a property obtained by subleasing, as an apartment.
verb
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to grant a sublease of (property)
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to let out (work, etc) under a subcontract
noun
Etymology
Origin of sublet
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.
Vocabulary lists containing sublet
Little Fires Everywhere
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mama, Sid and I moved into a sublet and eventually into a 19-room Tudor-style mansion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
On the one hand, you did promise working internet when you agreed to sublet to them.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 11, 2025
Suitable spaces are passed down, sublet, shared in secret.
From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2024
The suit, filed in September, said the company had not paid its rent in more than a year and had illegally sublet the land to a host of small businesses.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2023
It had a basement she thought she could sublet for extra income.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
