lease

Compared meaning: to pay to use something for a time (verb).

比较义项：付费租用某物一段时间（动词）。

• hire

  British English word for paying to use something briefly, like a car or costume; in American English 'hire' usually means to employ a person, so this rental sense can confuse American learners.

  hire 是英式英语用词，指短期付费使用某物，如汽车或礼服；在美式英语中，hire 通常指「雇用某人」，因此这个「租用」义项常让学习美式英语的人感到困惑。

  She hired a bicycle for the afternoon to explore the old town.

  她租了一辆自行车，用一个下午的时间去探索老城区。

• rent

  The most common, neutral verb for paying to use something, used in both British and American English for short or long terms, from apartments to cars.

  rent 是最常见、最中性的说法，指付费使用某物，英式和美式英语都用，既可指短期也可指长期，从公寓到汽车都能用。

  They rent a small apartment near the university, paying month to month.

  他们在大学附近租了一套小公寓，按月付租金。

• lease 本词

  Formal and legal in tone, describing a signed contract to rent property or equipment, usually for a longer, fixed period; common in real estate and business.

  lease 语气正式且带有法律色彩，指签订合同租用房产或设备，通常期限较长、固定；常见于房地产和商业场合。

  The company leased office space downtown under a five-year contract.

  这家公司根据一份为期五年的合同，租下了市中心的一处办公空间。

Hire, rent, and lease mean to pay for using something for a time. Hire is British, for short use; in the US, hire usually means to employ a person. Rent is the common, everyday word. Lease is formal, a signed contract to rent property.

这三个词在「付费使用某物一段时间」这一义项上意思相近，但用法和正式程度不同：hire 是英式英语常用词，多指短期租借（如自行车、礼服）；rent 是最通用、中性的说法，英美两地都用，长短期均可；lease 语气更正式，通常指签订法律合同的长期租赁（如房产、办公场所）。这里不比较 hire 在美式英语中「雇用（员工）」的常见义项，也不比较 rent 作名词「租金」和 lease 作名词「租约」的用法。