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subtenant

American  
[suhb-ten-uhnt] / sʌbˈtɛn ənt /

noun

  1. a person who rents land, a house, or the like, from a tenant.


subtenant British  
/ sʌbˈtɛnənt /

noun

  1. a person who rents or leases property from a tenant

"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

Other Word Forms

  • subtenancy noun

Etymology

Origin of subtenant

1400–50; late Middle English. See sub-, tenant

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.

Oracle is the tenant and OpenAI is the subtenant on the deals, but the debt doesn’t sit on Oracle’s balance sheet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

In September 2018, The Works opened shop as a subtenant of Seattle Seed Company in a window-filled corner space, fully taking over the space in April 2019.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 14, 2020

I had expected that Primark might end up as a subtenant to J.C.Penney, Kohl’s or Macy’s—and build traffic at lower price points in those stores—but now we know. 

From Forbes • Oct. 21, 2014

Last year, MetLife acquired another subtenant, the advertising and public relations firm Publicis.

From New York Times • Jan. 14, 2014

His subtenant wrote to say that he liked the flat and found it so convenient that he was very anxious to know whether there was a chance of John giving up possession of it.

From The Foolish Lovers by Ervine, St. John G. (St. John Greer)