hire

1 of 2

noun

ˈhī(-ə)r 

1

a

: payment for the temporary use of something

b

: payment for labor or personal services : wages

2

a

: the act or an instance of hiring (see hire entry 2)

laws regarding the hire of workers

b

: the state of being hired : employment

3

British : rental

the hire of equipment

—often used attributively

a hire car

4

: one who is hired

starting wage for the new hires

hire

2 of 2

verb

hired; hiring

transitive verb

1

a

: to engage the personal services of for a set sum

hire a crew

b

: to engage the temporary use of for a fixed sum

hire a hall

2

: to grant the personal services of or temporary use of for a fixed sum

hire themselves out

3

: to get done for pay

hire the mowing done

intransitive verb

: to take employment

hire out as a guide during the tourist season

hirer noun

Phrases

for hire or less commonly on hire

: available for use or service in return for payment

They have boats for hire.

willing to do farm work for hire

Synonyms

Noun

• employ
• employment
• engagement

Verb

• charter
• engage
• lease
• rent

Choose the Right Synonym for hire

hire, let, lease, rent, charter mean to engage or grant for use at a price.

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

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

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

charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

Examples of hire in a Sentence

Noun

The company has a few new hires.

The hire of a car and other equipment will of course incur a supplementary charge.

Verb

She had very little office experience, so the company wouldn't hire her.

We hired someone to clean the office once a week.

The company isn't hiring right now.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Even before Musselman’s hire, Collier’s return seemed unlikely as he was projected as a first-round draft pick. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024

Manning the 12 open registers, a mix of veterans, brought in from across the state, guided new hires, 90% of whom are from the area, according to store leader Chase Bowman. Fernando Gonzalez has worked for H-E-B for eight years. —Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2024

New hires were to top out at a wage that was $5 an hour less than what existing employees could make, according to workers at the plant. —Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024

Last year, 42% of the firm’s experienced hires were women, including 40% of managing director hires and 32% of vice president hires. —Tom Metcalf, Fortune Europe, 4 Apr. 2024

Not just by doing it more quickly, but by finding more efficient and personalized ways to reach out to prospective hires and advertise a workplace. —Bernard Marr, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Should a bigger story or controversy start to capture attention, NBC News may no longer have to worry about its newest hire. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 25 Mar. 2024

The other new hire, Managing Director John Russick, is white. —Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024

Montgomery advised Cal on the Madsen hire and, obviously, got that one right. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024

Verb

His predecessor hired key staff members to lead expansions of the fund’s sustainable investments along with higher risk, higher reward opportunities. —Maya Miller, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024

When Beane turned him down, all Henry did was hire the data-crunching prodigy Theo Epstein, who went on to lead both the Red Sox and Cubs to historic championships. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024

Boone Steel hired Mersch after his release from prison and eventually promoted him to general manager − the highest position in the business, according to a lawsuit filed by the company, which is ongoing. —Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2024

Castillo hired a sitter to watch her two children and arrived at KBDS bright and early at 6 a.m. on April 1 to claim her prize, only to discover she was being awarded a toy truck and not a $60,000 vehicle, according to the East Bay Times. —John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Apr. 2024

What can money be used for? Cities or counties can use the money for demolition or planning costs, such as hiring consultants or conducting site studies. —Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2024

The campaign has now opened lots of field offices and hiring staff, while Trump's ground game is lagging in key states, like Arizona. —Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 1 Apr. 2024

Offering remote work opportunities broadens hiring pools and helps reduce turnover. —Ebony Flake, Essence, 21 Mar. 2024

Grazer and Howard, who had previously produced documentaries before launching the division, hired Bernstein in 2018 for not only her taste but her ability to get deals done. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old English hȳr; akin to Old Saxon hūria hire

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing hire

• hire out
• ply for hire/business/trade
• hire purchase
• pre-hire
• on hire
• for hire

Kids Definition

hire

1 of 2 noun

ˈhī(ə)r 

1

a

: payment for temporary use

b

: payment for services : wages

2

a

: the act of hiring

b

: the state of being hired : employment

hire

2 of 2 verb

hired; hiring

1

: employ entry 1 sense 2

hire a new crew

2

: to get the temporary use of for a set sum

hire a hall

3

: to take a job

hired out as a cook

hirer noun

Legal Definition

hire

1 of 2 noun

1

: payment for the temporary use of something or for labor or services

2

a

: the act or an instance of hiring

from the date of hire until now

b

: the state of being hired : employment

while he was in the hire of the defendant

3

: one who is hired

all new hires will enjoy the same medical benefits

hire

2 of 2 verb

hired; hiring

transitive verb

1

: to engage the personal services of or the temporary use of for a fixed sum

2

: to grant the personal services of or the temporary use of

intransitive verb

: to take employment

hirer noun