charter 1 of 2

Definition of charternext

charter

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word charter different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of charter are hire, lease, let, and rent. While all these words mean "to engage or grant for use at a price," charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

How do hire and let relate to one another, in the sense of charter?

Both hire and let, strictly speaking, are complementary terms, hire implying the act of engaging or taking for use and let the granting of use.

we hired a car for the summer
decided to let the cottage to a young couple

In what contexts can lease take the place of charter?

While in some cases nearly identical to charter, lease strictly implies a letting under the terms of a contract but is often applied to hiring on a lease.

the diplomat leased an apartment for a year

When would rent be a good substitute for charter?

The words rent and charter are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rent stresses the payment of money for the full use of property and may imply either hiring or letting.

instead of buying a house, they decided to rent
will not rent to families with children

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of charter
Noun
Authorities are investigating a day after a charter plane crashed at a remote radar site in western Alaska, leaving no survivors. Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 Newly released internal emails show ICE quietly coordinating with Iranian officials to deport more than 100 Iranians on charter flights in 2025 and 2026, even as tensions and war fears escalated. Safiyah Riddle, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
After performing in South Carolina, Barker and Goldstein chartered a private plane for their trip back to Los Angeles. Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026 Banks are either chartered by a state or the federal government. Sarah Agostino, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for charter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charter
Noun
  • Elsewhere, dozens of countries and non-governmental organizations are clamoring for a global treaty under negotiation at the United Nations.
    Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Hutchison said its new proceedings were focused on breaches of treaty obligations and international law, which are distinct from PPC’s contract rights being pursued in its own arbitration case.
    Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • His government has implemented policies that slow energy permitting and development, canceled billions in grants for hundreds of clean energy projects and spent nearly $4 billion to buy back leases to stop offshore wind projects.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Companies already offer access to equity grants, restricted stock units, profit-sharing, and stock options.
    Diane Brady, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Google and Microsoft were both in talks with Nscale to rent AI computing capacity from the company’s massive data center project in West Virginia — a lease that ultimately went to Anthropic, a person familiar with the matter told Semafor.
    J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Carly keeps taking her new passion further, apparently spending all her tuition money on shooting a music video and renting a venue for a live performance plus merch and catering.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Such transformers are physically smaller and lighter than conventional transformers, have modular designs that enable easy upgrades or replacements of parts, and can perform as all-in-one power electronic devices by handling multiple tasks.
    Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The goal is to enable folks to take one of Archer’s Midnight air taxis for a 10- to 20-minute point-to-point trip that, with traffic, could take two hours.
    Mike Barnes for The Hollywood Reporter, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Returning from last season’s roster are Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Pelle Larsson, Nikola Jovic, Dru Smith, Simone Fontecchio, Myron Gardner and Vlad Goldin, who is on a two-way contract.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • All eyes will also be on local boy Max Verstappen, who just extended his contract with Red Bull through 2030.
    Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 23 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Huawei was one of the founding members of the patent pool, called Sisvel WiFi 6.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The third patent addresses measurements taken from 2D patterns corresponding to simulated 3D clothing.
    Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In December, Nvidia bought assets from the AI chip startup for about $20 billion in its largest deal on record and hired Groq founder Jonathan Ross, president Sunny Madra and a group of engineers.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
  • After reviewing cellphone videos, investigators hired by BART concluded that Pirone pushed Grant against a wall, struck him in the head and kneed him in the face.
    Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Several preservation and cultural heritage organization have sued to block the project, arguing that Congress must first authorize it.
    ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Specifically, StandardAero will now be authorized to work on Rolls-Royce T-56 turboprop engines used by the aircraft.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Charter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charter. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on charter

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster