lease

LEES/liːs/

17 meanings of lease

1
nouncountable
The agreement that lets someone use a home, land or other thing for a set time.
We signed a one-year lease for the new apartment.
The lease says we can't paint the walls.
Similarcontract, agreement
2
verbcolloquialtransitive
To pay an owner so you can use their place or thing for a set time.
My parents lease a car instead of buying one.
She is leasing a small shop on Main Street for her bakery.
Similarrent
3
verbformaltransitive
To let someone use your property for a set time under an agreement.
The church leases its empty hall to a dance school.
They plan to lease the top floor to a small company.
Similarrent, let
Note
4
nounformalcountable
The right to be the only one using land or a building for a set time.
They bought the lease on a small shop downtown.
The family's lease on the farm still has twenty years to run.
Similarleasehold, tenancy
Note
5
nouncountable
The right to be the only one using something, like a car or a boat.
Dad got a lease on a new truck.
The fishing club has a lease on two boats.
Similarrental
6
nouncountable
The amount of time you are allowed to use a place or thing under a lease.
Our lease ends in June, so we have to move.
We can stay here until the lease is over next year.
Similarterm, tenancy
Note
7
nouncountable
The use of a network address that a device gets for a limited time.
My phone got a new lease from the router when I came home.
Each lease on our home network lasts one day.
Note
8
verbtransitive
To give a device on a network an address to use for a limited time.
The router leases each phone an address when it joins the Wi-Fi.
Our router can lease addresses to up to fifty devices.
Similarassign, allocate
9
verbtransitive
Of a computer or phone, to take an address from the network for a limited time.
The tablet leased an address from the router and went online.
New devices lease an address when they join the network.
Similarobtain, acquire, get
10
verbdialectalUKtransitive or intransitive
To tell lies, or to say untrue things about someone to hurt them.
Don't you lease to me, lad. I saw you take the sweets.
She leased her own sister to the whole village, and none of it was true.
Similarlie, slander
Note

Practice

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Origins

Meanings 1–9

It comes from an Old French word meaning “to let go.” It is related to the English word let.

Meanings 11–14

From an Old English word meaning “to gather.”

Meaning 10

From an Old English word meaning “to tell lies.”

Meaning 15

From an Old English word meaning “meadow.”

Meaning 16

From an Old English word meaning “to loosen” or “to set free.”

Meaning 17

From the word leash.