1
: property (such as a house) rented or for rent
2
a
: a usually fixed periodical return made by a tenant or occupant of property to the owner for the possession and use thereof
especially
: an agreed sum paid at fixed intervals by a tenant to the landlord
b
: the amount paid by a hirer of personal property to the owner for the use thereof
3
a
: the portion of the income of an economy (as of a nation) attributable to land as a factor of production in addition to capital and labor
b
rented; renting; rents
1
: to grant the possession and enjoyment of in exchange for rent
2
: to take and hold under an agreement to pay rent
1
: to be for rent
2
a
: to obtain the possession and use of a place or article in exchange for rent
b
: to allow the possession and use of property in exchange for rent
rent
3 of 4past tense and past participle of rend
1
: an opening made by or as if by rending
2
: a split in a party or organized group : schism
3
: an act or instance of rending
Examples of rent in a Sentence
Verb
We rented our friends' cottage for the month of August.
Do you own or rent?
We rented them the upstairs apartment in our house.
The cottage rents for $400 a week.
Noun
getting her skirt caught on a nail resulted in a four-inch rent that she couldn't possibly repair
peered through the rent in the old garden wall for a glimpse of her mysterious new neighbor
Recent Examples on the Web
Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Food costs are impossible, my kids can't afford rent.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2025
Book your stay at the Cades Cove Campground, rent a bike right from the campground store, pack a meal, and start your journey in the afternoon.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rent
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Andrew, however, continues to live rent-free at the Royal Lodge at Windsor Estate, according to a copy of a lease agreement obtained by USA TODAY.
—Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Food costs are impossible, my kids can't afford rent.
—NPR, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
Grander residences are also available to rent; a few of the 10 are owned by boldface names like Donna Karan.
—Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2025
Book your stay at the Cades Cove Campground, rent a bike right from the campground store, pack a meal, and start your journey in the afternoon.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rent
Cite this Entry
“Rent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rent. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rent
1 of 4 noun
: money paid for the use of property : a periodic payment made by a tenant to the owner for the use of the owner's property
rent
2 of 4 verb1
: to take and hold property under an agreement to pay rent
2
: to give the possession and use of in return for rent
rented a cottage to friends
3
: to be for rent
the room rents for $40 a week
rent
3 of 4past and past participle of rend
rent
4 of 4 noun1
: an opening (as in cloth) made by or as if by tearing
2
: an act or instance of tearing
Etymology
Noun
Middle English rente "income from property," from early French rente "payment, income," derived from Latin rendere "to yield"
Noun
from a dialect word rent "to tear," from Middle English renten, an altered form of renden "to tear, rend"
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