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subletter

1 5.6

A tenant who rents part or all of their home to another person

noun
/ˈsʌbˌlɛtər/

: subarrendador

He quickly found a subletter to help him cover the rent after his roommate moved out unexpectedly.

Examples

A few long-time Stuy Town residents have turned into "amateur sleuths" who patrol short-term rental sites, such as Airbnb, in an attempt to catch micro-subletters before they strike deals, according to the Times.

Blog text (16)
"Neither seems very attractive to prospective micro-subletters.

Blog text (16)
Which may be why some micro-subletters aren't paying the 2010 law much mind.

Blog text (16)
ALEJANDRO: He's the subletter.

Problemista (2024)
As a subletter, she was responsible for finding someone to take over her lease while she studied abroad.
The subletter signed a contract to officially lease the spare room in my apartment for the summer.

Synonyms

lessor

vssubletter

Formal

1 7.1

A person or company that lets others use property for money

rents out property they themselves lease to others via sublease

sublessor

vssubletter

7.5

A person who rents a place to someone while they still rent it

means the same role but uses a different term

lease giver

vssubletter

6.1

A person who rents out property to another person for money

rents out property they themselves lease rather than granting original lease

Surface Forms

subletter singular

subletters plural

Morphology

subletter = sublet (transparent) = sub + let + er

Direct agentive formation from 'sublet' + '-er' yields 'one who sublets' (i.e., rents out part or all of a leased property), which is a straightforward derivation.

Etymology

Subletter comes from the parts sub- 'under' and let 'to rent', the same 'let' you see in 'to let a room'. So a subletter is someone who rents out part or all of a place they are themselves renting, letting it to another person.