rent
/rent/ (bre, ipa) · /rent/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈrent/ (ame, mw)
rent — noun
- rentsingular
- rentsplural
1. A regular payment you make to the owner of a building, room, vehicle, or piece o
A regular payment you make to the owner of a building, room, vehicle, or piece of equipment so you can keep using it.
Tanvi pays $1,200 in rent each month for her small studio near the university.
collocation: pay + rent
The landlord raised the rent by fifty dollars after the tenant asked for kitchen repairs.
collocation: raise + the rent
Haruto could not afford the rent after the factory where he worked closed down.
The rent for their two-bedroom flat includes water and gas but not internet.
Sofie collects rent from five shop owners in a building she owns near the market.
- lease
A lease is both the legal contract itself and, less commonly, the payment under that contract; rent is the everyday term for the actual money.
- hire
In British English, hire can mean the payment for short-term use of a vehicle or equipment (car hire, bike hire), but for housing, rent is the standard term.
文法句型
pay + rent
raise/lower + the rent
用法筆記
Rent is usually paid monthly, and the amount is agreed on in a written agreement called a lease or rental contract.
常見錯誤
2. The state of a house, room, or other item being available from the owner for use
The state of a house, room, or other item being available from the owner for use in return for payment — found in the fixed phrases 'for rent' and 'to rent'.
There is a 'For Rent' sign outside the empty shop on the street corner.
phrase: For Rent sign
The flat above the dentist's office is for rent at a very reasonable price.
structure: is + for rent
Are there any rooms to rent near the university within this price range?
The house next door has been for rent for three months with no buyers.
文法句型
for rent
to rent
be + for rent
用法筆記
For rent is the common phrase in American English; in British English, the equivalent is to let (e.g., 'flat to let'). British English also uses to rent in the same way as American English.
常見錯誤
3. A large torn opening found on cloth, clothing, or other fabric — a word from old
A large torn opening found on cloth, clothing, or other fabric — a word from older English (root: 'rend') that survives mainly in literary descriptions.
Nkechi sewed up the rent in her son's trousers before he left for school.
A large rent in the old curtain let the morning sunlight pour into the room.
literary register: large rent in [fabric]
The soldier noticed a small rent in the flag where metal had cut through.
The tailor shook her head at the large rent in the expensive silk gown.
用法筆記
This sense comes from the verb rend and is unrelated to the financial meaning of rent. It is very rare in everyday speech; most modern speakers use tear, rip, or hole instead.
常見錯誤
rent — verb
- rentpresent simple I / you / we / they
- rents3rd person singular
- renting-ing form
- rentedpast simple
1. To pay money in order to use a building, room, vehicle, or piece of equipment th
To pay money in order to use a building, room, vehicle, or piece of equipment that belongs to someone else; or to receive money by allowing someone else to use your property, often with 'out' to make the landlord meaning clear.
Diego rented a car at the airport to drive to his parents' house.
pattern: rent + object + from + person
Adina rents a small room from an elderly couple who live in the city centre.
The company rents out its office furniture to small businesses that are just starting up.
Liang rented a boat for the afternoon and took his family out on the lake.
The Watanabe family rent their summer house to tourists every year for some extra income.
- lease
Lease suggests a formal, long-term written contract for property; rent covers both long-term and short-term, and is more common in everyday use.
- hire
In British English, hire is used for short-term rental of vehicles, tools, or equipment; rent is more common for housing and in American English generally.
- let
British English equivalent of 'rent out' — the owner lets a property to a tenant (e.g., 'the flat is let for £800 a month').
文法句型
rent + object
rent + object + from + person
rent + object + out + to + person
用法筆記
When you are the person paying, the structure is 'rent something from someone.' When you are the person receiving money, add 'out' for clarity: 'rent something out to someone.' Without 'out,' the sentence can be ambiguous — 'they rent their house' could mean they pay to live there or they let others stay there.
常見錯誤
2. (Of a property or item) To be offered for use by someone in exchange for payment
(Of a property or item) To be offered for use by someone in exchange for payment, usually at a particular price.
The apartment rents for nine hundred dollars a month with all utilities included.
pattern: rent + for + price
This model of electric car rents for about sixty dollars per day at the airport.
The large hall at the hotel rents out for weddings and birthday parties all year.
Her beach house rents for three thousand dollars each week during the summer season.
- let for
In British English, 'let for' is the equivalent: 'the flat lets for £700 a month.'
文法句型
rent + for + amount
rent + at + amount
用法筆記
This is the intransitive use: the property or item is the subject, and the price follows 'for.' It is common in advertising and descriptions, e.g., 'the house rents for $2,000 a month.'
3. The form taken by the old verb 'rend' when telling about something that was torn
The form taken by the old verb 'rend' when telling about something that was torn apart violently in the past — now only seen in old or literary writing.
In a poem, the grieving king rent his robe and wept for his dead son.
literary usage: rent + clothing as gesture of grief
The castle's great banner was rent by the fierce wind during the overnight storm.
In a legend, the hero rent the iron chains and set the prisoners free.
The ancient story describes how the wolf rent the deer's flesh with its sharp teeth.
用法筆記
This is a completely different word from the financial rent — it is simply the past form of the old verb 'rend' (to tear violently). You will only see it in classic literature, historical novels, or poetic writing. In modern English, 'tear' (past: tore) or 'rip' (past: ripped) are used instead.