recruit

1 of 2

verb

re·​cruit ri-ˈkrüt How to pronounce recruit (audio)
recruited; recruiting; recruits

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: to fill up the number of with new members : reinforce
recruit an army
(2)
: to enlist as a member of an armed service
b
: to increase or maintain the number of
America recruited her population from Europe
c
: to secure the services of : engage, hire
d
: to seek to enroll
recruit prospective students
2
3
: to restore or increase the health, vigor, or intensity of

intransitive verb

: to enlist new members
recruiter noun

recruit

2 of 2

noun

1
: a fresh or additional supply
2
: a newcomer to a field or activity
specifically : a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces
3
: a former enlisted man of the lowest rank in the army

Examples of recruit in a Sentence

Verb He was recruited by the army after high school. Public schools are recruiting new teachers. College football coaches spend a lot of time recruiting high school athletes. College football coaches spend a lot of time recruiting. Some parents don't think the military should be recruiting from high schools. We recruited a crew of volunteers to help us. I recruited my brother to drive us to the concert. She recruited four friends to distribute food to the homeless with her. Noun the newest recruit on the team She's one of the department's new recruits.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
There were also comments about recruiting victims on Roblox, a gaming platform popular with young children. Chris Dehghanpoor, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Longview is a small city in the east Texas oil patch; presumably its chamber was recruited because the plaintiffs figured that its presence would give them standing to sue in the federal district court in Tyler, which has two judges, both appointed by Donald Trump, including Barker. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Li says that without the funding, research centers won't be able to recruit competitively, and proper AI research will fall behind. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2024 Her arrival three years ago set into motion an exponential program trajectory, culminating in one singular moment recruiting a transcendent freshman and surrounding her with a bevy of irreplaceable supporting acts. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2024 This satirical comedy is about a young man who is recruited into a secret society of magical Black people who dedicate their lives to making white people’s lives easier. Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 10 Mar. 2024 She's been on the road with her infant son after husband Michael Schofield was recruited for the Detroit Lions, who ended up in the NFL playoffs. Alex Apatoff, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Russia is recruiting foreign fighters—and soon possibly foreign felons—into its ranks as well. Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024 Medical schools tried to recruit Dr. Hiatt to become their dean. Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
Hare, who graduated from police recruit school in 2018, is survived by his parents, his girlfriend and two young children, the police chief said. Rebekah Riess, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 His new recruit, rock climbing expert Olivia (Nathalie Emmanuel), is accepting the position primarily to make her father happy. Courtney Howard, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 Two months later, in February 2019, the woman was accepted into the fire department's recruit class. Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024 So many, in fact, that the Kremlin has curtailed training for many new recruits or draftees in order to speed them to the front line within weeks of mobilizing them. David Axe, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Slightly more than half of new Marine recruits are trained at MCRD, which draws its recruits from west of the Mississippi River. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024 The recruits spread out methodically, moving in and apprehending the assailants without a shot being fired. Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 His stats and accolades he’s accumulated certainly back up that statement, and the production has boosted him to become Perfect Games’ No. 9 Class of 2026 recruit in the national rankings. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 So rap lyrics that appear to boast about a crime, recruit members or threaten potential witnesses might be admitted in the YSL trial. Bill Hochberg, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recruit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French recrute, recrue fresh growth, new levy of soldiers, from Middle French, from recroistre to grow up again, from Latin recrescere, from re- + crescere to grow — more at crescent

First Known Use

Verb

1642, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Noun

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of recruit was in 1642

Dictionary Entries Near recruit

Cite this Entry

“Recruit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recruit. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

recruit

1 of 2 verb
re·​cruit ri-ˈkrüt How to pronounce recruit (audio)
1
a
: to increase the number of by enlisting new members
b
: to get the services of : engage
recruited new teachers
2
: replenish
recruited their finances
3
: to return or increase the health, energy, or strength of
recruiter noun
recruitment
-ˈkrüt-mənt
noun

recruit

2 of 2 noun
: a newcomer to a field or activity
especially : a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces
Etymology

Noun

from French recrute, recrue (noun) "new growth, a batch of new soldiers," derived from early French recroistre "to grow up again," from Latin recrescere (same meaning), from re- "again" and crescere "to grow"

Word Origin
The French formed the noun recrute, meaning "fresh growth," from their verb recroistre "to grow up again." This verb was taken from the Latin verb recrescere, which had the same meaning. Later, someone saw a likeness between "a fresh growth of plants" and "a fresh supply of soldiers." Thus they began using the word recrute for the new soldiers. In the 17th century this sense of recrute came to the attention of the English. They borrowed the word as recruit and began using it as a verb and noun. In time it acquired broader senses not related to the military.

Medical Definition

recruit

transitive verb
re·​cruit ri-ˈkrüt How to pronounce recruit (audio)
: to restore or increase the health, vigor, or intensity of

More from Merriam-Webster on recruit

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