Rent an Apartment: Meaning, Usage, and Examples

Meaning 1：lease a residence (rent an apartment)

rent an apartment 🔊

/rent ən əˈpɑːrtmənt/

phr.v.

To pay money to a landlord for the right to live in an apartment for a period of time.

Rent an apartment: browsing listings on laptop with moving box

lease a residence 🔊

➕

/liːs ə ˈrezɪdəns/

phr.v.

To pay a landlord for the temporary use of an apartment, typically under a rental agreement.

📁 Category：Buildings & Places 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Rent from Latin 'rendere' (to give back); apartment from French 'appartement' (separate room).

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine signing a lease with 'Rent' written in bold, reminding you to pay monthly for a roof.

📖 Example

After graduating, my first big decision was to rent an apartment close to my new job. 🔊 After graduating, my first big decision was to lease a residence close to my new job.

🔗 Collocations

rent an apartment from – obtain a lease from a specific landlord

rent an apartment with – share a rental property with another person

sign a lease to rent an apartment – formally agree to a rental contract

🔄 Synonyms

lease an apartment (v. phr.) – to acquire temporary occupancy of an apartment via a lease

take a flat (v. phr.) – British informal for renting a self-contained housing unit

let an apartment (v. phr.) – to allow someone to use an apartment in exchange for rent (from landlord's perspective)

🚫 Antonyms

buy a house (v. phr.) – to purchase a home outright

own a condominium (v. phr.) – to hold full ownership of a private unit

📖 Cultural Story

The concept of renting apartments became widespread in urbanizing 19th-century Europe, enabling workers to live near factories without property ownership.