rental

Everyday

1. A rental is something you pay to use for a time, like a car, flat or bike, but do not own. tree →
2. Rental is the money you pay for this, or the act of renting. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life families take a rental car on holiday, or live in a rental flat. In maths word problems, rental prices are often per hour or per day, which practises multiplication. In adult life and money, many people rent their home rather than buy it. Phrases: "car rental", "rental car", "bike rental", "rental agreement", "rental income".

Examples

• We picked up a rental car at the airport. tree →
• The bike rental costs £5 an hour. tree →
• Our flat is a rental, so we can't paint the walls. tree →
• The ski rental shop was very busy. tree →
• We watched a film rental on the TV. tree →
• (money) The rental agreement says no pets. tree →
• If a boat rental costs $12 per hour, three hours cost $36. tree →

Note

Countable for a thing rented ("two rentals"); also used as an adjective ("rental car"). Verb: rent. In the USA "rental" is very common; in the UK people also say "hire" ("car hire"). In maths: total rental cost = price per time × time, sometimes plus a fixed fee.