Tenant refers to someone who rents a place to live or conduct business. For example, if you rent an apartment, you are the tenant of that apartment. The word comes from the Old French word tenir, which means to hold. Tennant, however, is a common misspelling of tenant and has no meaning in English related to renting or leasing property. It’s also a last name, like David Tennant, the actor. Always use tenant when talking about someone who rents property. Tenant Definition and Legal Meaning On this page, you'll find the legal definition and meaning of Tenant , written in plain English, along with examples of how it is used. What is Tenant ? Someone who owns a property by the way of paying rent or leasing the property on the basis of an agreement between the leasor and leasee. A tenant is an individual who pays rent to occupy someone else’s property for a period. The terms and conditions of tenancy are documented in the rental agreement. Tenant definition : a person or group that rents and occupies land, a house, an office, or the like, from another for a period of time; lessee.. See examples of TENANT used in a sentence.