rent

The word “rent” means the regular payment a tenant makes to use someone else's property. In plain terms, either the money paid to use a place (as a noun) or the act of paying to use something temporarily (as a verb).

“Rent” is pronounced REHNT (/ˈɹɛnt/ in IPA).

Here is “rent” used in a sentence: “The rent on the flat goes up every year.”

Depending on how it is used, “rent” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “rent” comes from Latin. From Old French rente, ultimately from Latin reddere, "to give back" — the same root behind render and surrender.

“Rent” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Rent” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the regular payment a tenant makes to use someone else's property.

Rent is the regular payment a tenant makes to use a property they do not own; it buys the right to live there for a time and builds no ownership. A mortgage is a loan used to buy property, and its payments gradually make you the owner. Renters pay a landlord; borrowers repay a lender.

Rent is the actual payment made to use a property. A lease is the contract that sets the terms, such as how long you stay and how much rent costs. In everyday speech 'lease' often implies a longer fixed term, while renting can be month to month, but the rent is what you hand over.

It varies by agreement. Rent always covers the right to occupy the property. Sometimes it also includes utilities like water, heat, or trash collection, and in apartments it may cover shared amenities such as parking or a gym. Many rentals, though, bill utilities separately, so tenants should check what the rent actually covers.