sublet
Americanverb (used with object)
-
sublets,
present (3rd person singular)
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sublet,
past participle, past
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subletting
present participle
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to sublease.
-
to let under a subcontract.
to sublet work.
noun
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sublets
plural
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a sublease.
-
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
-
have been sublettingperfect progressive
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has been sublettingperfect progressive
Past
-
subletsimple
-
had subletperfect
-
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.
See Examples For:
The state intends to sublet space to startups that might not have the wherewithal to commit to long-term leases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
A friend will sublet my apartment starting in October.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
A retired foster parent, Hassan says he rented his home to a local business owner and allowed him to sublet it to others.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
At one point, he sublet his bedroom in his Brooklyn apartment to a stranger to cover the cost of rent — something to which Alejandro also resorts in “Problemista.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
Bobby’s first apartment, a furnished sublet he rented for six months, had been ideal: It was downtown, had a bit of a view and a terrace, and he could walk quickly to stores and restaurants.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Listings Projects, a classified newsletter featuring sublets in New York City, Los Angeles and others creative hubs , is one of the systems that seems poised to grow.
From Slate ● Sep. 13, 2023
She was inspired by Sam Farrazaino who established Equinox Studios, converting a 30,000-square-foot former factory to sublets for working artisans in Seattle’s Georgetown in 2006.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2022
She sublets the apartment, and, as is the way of folks with less money, maybe especially queer friends, ends up living there with two other people.
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2022
For companies seeking offices, sublets often provide a shorter lease at a steep discount to market prices.
From New York Times ● Sep. 8, 2020
He does not take the rooms of the Inn direct, but as we do, from one who has several sets on a long lease, and sublets the rooms.
From The Ivory Gate, a new edition by Sir Walter Besant
Nicholas Razo, Santa Fe Springs’ assistant city manager, told The Times that the city had raised concerns with the league about subletting and took action after learning the practice was continuing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Nicholas Razo, assistant city manager, said in a phone interview that the city had previously raised concerns with the league about subletting and took action after learning the practice was continuing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
By subletting to him at a lower-than-market rent, you may be limiting some tax deductions.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026
A company representing the property owner later told us that the tenancy agreement "expressly forbids" subletting and multiple occupancy and that the property had never been let or advertised for those purposes.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2025
He was living in Hyde Park, subletting an apartment from a friend.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
