English Reference

Word

tenant

Phoneticsten·ant, stress on the first syllable

US/ˈtɛnənt/

UK/tˈɛnənt/

Definitions

01renter of property

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Law

n. a person who pays money to a landlord to live in a house or use an office.

n. an individual or entity that occupies land or property rented from a landlord under a lease agreement.

“The new tenant moved into the apartment on the first of the month.”

“The lease agreement clearly outlines the responsibilities of the tenant regarding maintenance and the timely payment of utilities.”

Usage

Often used with the preposition 'of' followed by the property name.

Synonyms

Antonyms

02software user group

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Computing Technical

n. a customer or group that uses one part of a large software system shared by others.

n. a group of users who share a single instance of a software application while keeping their data isolated from other groups.

“Each tenant in the cloud system has its own secure database.”

“In a multi-tenant architecture, the application serves multiple customers from a single environment while ensuring strict data segregation between each tenant.”

Usage

Commonly found in the context of 'SaaS' (Software as a Service) and cloud computing.

Synonyms

03feudal land holder

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic

n. someone in history who held land given to them by a lord or king.

n. a person who held land under the feudal system in exchange for services or rent to a superior.

“The king granted the land to his loyal tenant in exchange for military service.”

“Historical records indicate that the tenant-in-chief was responsible for providing knights to the crown during times of conflict.”

Synonyms

04to occupy as a renter

C1 · Advanced Formal

v. to live in or use a property as a renter.

v. to hold or occupy property as a tenant; to inhabit a space under a rental agreement.

“The building has been tenanted by the same family for three generations.”

“The estate was largely tenanted by small-scale farmers who had worked the land since the previous century.”

Usage

Often used in the passive voice ('is tenanted by').

Antonyms

Collocations

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “tenant” in context.

Verb

01. evict a tenant

“The landlord had to evict the tenant after six months of unpaid rent.”

verb + noun

02. protect the rights of tenants

“New legislation was introduced to protect the rights of tenants against unfair rent hikes.”

verb + noun + of + noun

Adjective

03. commercial tenant

“The mall is struggling to find a new commercial tenant for the anchor store space.”

adj + noun

04. prospective tenant

“We have several prospective tenants viewing the apartment this afternoon.”

adj + noun

05. sitting tenant

“The property is being sold with a sitting tenant, so the new owner cannot move in immediately.”

adj + noun

Noun

06. multi-tenant architecture

“The software uses a multi-tenant architecture to serve different companies from a single server.”

adj + noun + noun

07. tenant farmer

“The tenant farmer paid a portion of his crop yield to the landowner as rent.”

noun + noun

08. tenant with concerns

09. tenants to identify

Real-World Examples

“And let’s not forget that social tenants pay rent, which goes back to the public purse and into society.”
The Guardian 7 Aug 2026
“Keisha is exactly the tenant the state's new cooling grant might have been written for.”
BBC News 29 Jul 2026

Etymology

From Middle English tenaunt, from Anglo-Norman tenaunt and Old French tenant, present participle of tenir (“to hold”), from Latin tenēre (“hold, keep”).

Possibly just a modification of tenet, but note obsolete tenent (“tenet”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

NOUN

tenant(C1)

Related words

Domain

Computing

This entry

Exam level
CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
Frequency
Frequent
Level
C1 · AdvancedOxford
Updated

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