hire and let, strictly speaking, are complementary terms, hire implying the act of engaging or taking for use and let the granting of use.
we hired a car for the summer
decided to let the cottage to a young couple
lease strictly implies a letting under the terms of a contract but is often applied to hiring on a lease.
the diplomat leased an apartment for a year
rent stresses the payment of money for the full use of property and may imply either hiring or letting.
instead of buying a house, they decided to rent
will not rent to families with children
charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.
charter a bus to go to the game
Example Sentences
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.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English rente, from Anglo-French, payment, income, from Vulgar Latin *rendita, from feminine of *renditus, past participle of *rendere to yield — more at render
Noun
English dialect rent to rend, from Middle English, alteration of renden — more at rend