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tenant

American  
[ten-uhnt] / ˈtɛn ənt /

noun

  1. a person or group that rents and occupies land, a house, an office, or the like, from another for a period of time; lessee.

  2. Law. a person who holds or possesses for a time lands, tenements, or personalty of another, usually for rent.

  3. an occupant or inhabitant of any place.


verb (used with object)

  1. to hold or occupy as a tenant; dwell in; inhabit.

verb (used without object)

  1. to dwell or live (usually followed byin ).

tenant British  
/ ˈtɛnənt /

noun

  1. a person who holds, occupies, or possesses land or property by any kind of right or title, esp from a landlord under a lease

  2. a person who has the use of a house, flat, etc, subject to the payment of rent

  3. any holder or occupant

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to hold (land or property) as a tenant

  2. rare to dwell

"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

  • nontenant noun
  • nontenantable adjective
  • tenant-like adjective
  • tenantable adjective
  • tenantless adjective
  • tenantlike adjective
  • untenantable adjective
  • untenanted adjective

Etymology

Origin of tenant

1250–1300; Middle English tena ( u ) nt < Anglo-French; Middle French tenant, noun use of present participle of tenir to hold ≪ Latin tenēre. See -ant

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.

These deals often involve a special-purpose vehicle which Blue Owl leases back to the tenant.

From MarketWatch

They are our anchor tenant for religious freedom in this tough neighborhood.

From The Wall Street Journal

If he really cares about the latter, he wouldn’t bar tenants in the city’s dilapidated public housing from airing complaints at his hearings on “rental ripoffs,” as the New York Post reported this week.

From The Wall Street Journal

That 14,000-square-foot lot has found its next tenant, Marks said.

From Los Angeles Times

They amassed enough signatures late last year to qualify their proposal for this November’s ballot, launching New England’s most populous state headlong into the debate over whether policing rent helps tenants.

From The Wall Street Journal