lease
n. countablen. a legal agreement that lets you use a building, a car, or land for a specific amount of time. You usually pay money every month to the owner while you use it.
n. a legal contract by which one party conveys land, property, or services to another for a specified time, usually in return for a periodic payment.
The lease on my apartment ends in June.
Before moving in, the tenant signed a two-year lease that fixed the monthly rent at a set price.
Commercial property developers often prefer long-term leases to ensure a steady stream of revenue, whereas small businesses may seek shorter terms to maintain operational flexibility.
From Middle English lesen, from Anglo-Norman leser, Old French lesser, laisier (“to let, let go”), partly from Latin laxō (“to loose”) and partly from Old High German lāzan (“to let, let go, release”) (German lassen), cognate with Old English lǣtan (“to allow, let go, leave, rent”) whence let.
From Middle English lesen, from Old English lesan (“to collect, pick, select, gather”), from Proto-West Germanic lesan, from Proto-Germanic lesaną (“to gather”).
From Middle English lesen, from Old English lēasian (“to lie, tell lies”), from lēas (“falsehood, lying, untruth, mistake”).
From Middle English lese, from Old English lǣs (“meadow”), from Proto-West Germanic *lāsu (“meadow”). See also leasow.
From Middle English lesen, from Old English līesan (“to loosen, release, redeem, deliver, liberate”), from Proto-Germanic *lausijaną (“to release, loosen”).
From leash.
Commonly used with the verbs 'sign', 'renew', or 'break'. Often takes the preposition 'on' when referring to the property involved.
I took a lease for the carI took a lease on the carWhen identifying the object being rented, the noun typically takes the preposition 'on' rather than 'for'.