rent

RENT/ɹɛnt/

Verbrents, renting, rented

Noun pluralrents

12 meanings of rent

1
verbtransitive or intransitive
To pay money to use a home or a thing that belongs to someone else for a time.
Like paying to use a friend's car while it stays theirs.
They rent a small apartment near the school.
We rented a house by the beach last summer.
UsageYou rent from the owner; the owner rents to you.
2
regular paymentnouncountable or uncountable
Money you pay regularly to use a home or building, or sometimes a thing, that someone else owns.
Like paying a little money each month to keep living in a place that is not yours.
The rent on their apartment goes up every year.
She pays her rent at the start of each month.
UsageSay pay the rent and the rent on a home.
3
be let (place)verbintransitive
To be offered for use in exchange for money paid at regular times.
The studio rents for eight hundred dollars a month.
These cabins rent quickly during the summer.
UsageOften rents for an amount: rents for $800 a month.
Note
4
verbtransitive
To let someone use your property in return for regular payments.
Like letting someone use your bike if they pay you each week.
They rent the upstairs room to a college student.
He rented his cabin to tourists all summer.
UsageYou rent your place to someone, or rent it out.
Similarlet, lease

rent is a form of rend

rend, verb: To tear or rip something apart, or off, very violently. Or to tear apart by itself. Full entry

Forms: rendrends he/she/itrending -ing formrent past tense, past participle
Spelling: rend → rent: irregular (no -ed)

Practice

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Origin

From an old French word "rente", which came from Latin words meaning to give back or return.

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

English rent derives from Old French rente. en.wiktionary.org
The Latin ancestry includes words meaning to give back or return. en.wiktionary.org