sublet
Americanverb (used with object)
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to sublease.
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to let under a subcontract.
to sublet work.
noun
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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
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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subletsimple
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subletssimple
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have subletperfect
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has subletperfect
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am sublettingprogressive
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are sublettingprogressive
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is sublettingprogressive
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have been sublettingperfect progressive
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has been sublettingperfect progressive
Past
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subletsimple
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had subletperfect
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was sublettingprogressive
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were sublettingprogressive
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had been sublettingperfect progressive
Future
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
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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.
A leaseholder and member of the Social Housing Action Campaign, she believes one social housing flat has been illegally sublet as short-term accommodation.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
A friend will sublet my apartment starting in October.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
Northern California, where she grew up, offers less hectic living, with family nearby and a proper house rather than an illegal basement sublet.
From Salon • Jun. 27, 2026
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
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.
