Meaning & use
tenants
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“tenants” is a form of “tenant”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
People who pay rent to live in or use a property owned by someone else.
Grammar: This is the plural form; use it when talking about more than one tenant. The singular is 'tenant'.
Patterns
- tenants of something
- tenants in a building
- the tenants pay rent
The landlord asked the tenants to keep the noise down after ten o'clock.
All the tenants in the building share a single laundry room.
New tenants must sign a one-year lease before moving in.
nounplurallegal
People or organizations that occupy land or buildings under a legal agreement.
Grammar: Used especially in law and business writing about rights and duties connected with property.
Patterns
- tenants under a lease
- tenants' rights
- commercial tenants
The tenants have the right to quiet enjoyment of the property.
Commercial tenants often negotiate rent-free periods at the start of a lease.
The court ruled that the tenants were not responsible for structural repairs.
Word forms
| singular | tenant |
|---|
Common combinations
- tenants' association
- The tenants' association meets monthly to discuss building repairs.
- sitting tenants
- The buyer had to accept the sitting tenants and could not evict them.
- evict tenants
- The landlord cannot evict tenants without following the proper legal process.
- prospective tenants
- Prospective tenants viewed the apartment on Saturday morning.
- tenants in common
- The two owners held the property as tenants in common, each with a half share.
Synonyms and how they differ
- renters
- More informal and common in everyday American speech; 'tenants' is the usual word in leases and legal documents.
- occupants
- Refers to anyone living in a place, whether or not they pay rent; 'tenants' specifically implies a rental agreement.
- lessees
- A formal legal term for people who hold a lease; it is narrower and more technical than 'tenants'.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: tenants or tenet? tenants or tenor?
tenants vs tenet
A 'tenet' is a principle or belief, not a person renting property. They sound similar but have completely different meanings.
tenants vs tenor
A 'tenor' is a singing voice or the general meaning of something; it is not related to renting.
Practice
The landlord asked the _____ to pay their rent by the first of the month.
Choose one answer.
'Tenants' is the plural noun needed here because the landlord is asking multiple people. 'Tenancy' is the abstract legal right, 'tenet' means a belief, and 'tenant's' is possessive and would need a following noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tenants”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.