charter

noun

char·ter | \ˈchär-tər

Definition of charter

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a written instrument (see instrument entry 1 sense 4) or contract (such as a deed) executed in due form

2a : a grant or guarantee of rights, franchises, or privileges from the sovereign power of a state or country The charter allows for unrestricted trading.

b : a written instrument that creates and defines the franchises (see franchise entry 1 sense 2) of a city, educational institution, or corporation a city charter a corporate charter

c : constitution the Charter of the United Nations

3 : a written instrument from the authorities of a society creating a lodge or branch The national headquarters aproved the charter establishing the local lodge.

4 : a special privilege, immunity, or exemption

5 : a mercantile lease of a ship or some principal part of it In the charter the ship's owner agreed to transport specified cargo to a specified port.

6a : a charter travel arrangement An agent handled the charter providing aircraft travel to and from the tournament.

b : a chartered plane, bus, etc. Their charter had just landed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport and … everyone in the Mariners' traveling party had to slog through a tedious customs check and then claim his own luggage.— Jeff Pearlman

7 : charter school He pushed for the closure of Chicago's worst schools … and opened dozens of new schools, many of them charters.— Amanda Paulson et al.

charter

verb

chartered; chartering; charters

Definition of charter (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : to establish, enable, or convey by charter The city was chartered in 1837.

b British : certify a chartered mechanical engineer

2 : to hire, rent, or lease for usually exclusive and temporary use chartered a boat for deep-sea fishing

charter

adjective

Definition of charter (Entry 3 of 3)

: of, relating to, or being a travel arrangement in which transportation (such as a bus or plane) is hired by and for one specific group of people a charter flight

Other Words from charter Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about charter

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Synonyms for charter

Synonyms: Verb

engage, hire, lease, rent

Choose the Right Synonym for charter

Verb

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 charter in a Sentence

Noun

The charter allows for unrestricted trading.

Verb

The city was chartered in 1837. The team chartered a plane.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

And if voters support the change, it will be written into the county’s charter, which spells out how the county government conducts its business. — Talia Richman, baltimoresun.com, "Should the Anne Arundel County Council get to approve the county executive's pick for police chief?," 3 July 2018 Unlike in Pennsylvania, where local school districts authorize charters, the New Jersey Department of Education is the lone authorizer. — Maddie Hanna, Philly.com, "It takes a long time to close a charter school in Philly. Here's why," 3 July 2018 These charters generally banned non-members from using parks, beaches and even streets, and associations enacted deed restrictions that prevented property from being sold to African-Americans or Jews. — Amy Crawford, Smithsonian, "Racism Kept Connecticut’s Beaches White Up Through the 1970s," 2 July 2018 But there are also a few airlines that service the island without requiring an expensive private charter (and arriving by air gives you the chance to take some aerial photos). — Condé Nast Traveler, "Car-Free Destinations for Your Next Island Vacation," 1 June 2018 State law, along with many other city charters, allow such private meetings for limited purposes. — Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "Court: Cincinnati city manager investigation must be public – for now," 17 Apr. 2018 The legislature had the capacity to revoke or change the charter, as the needs of the community shifted. — Kim Phillips-fein, The New Republic, "The 200-year legal struggle that led to Citizens United and gave corporations the rights of people," 29 Mar. 2018 Before Daniel’s new high school had even completed its first year, the Indianapolis Charter School Board approved the charter’s request to open an additional location. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "What’s really going on in Indiana’s public schools," 12 July 2018 The state board will oversee the charter from July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2023, taking responsibility to ensure College Prep meets academic, operational and financial standards. — Karen Pearlman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "College Prep middle school breaks ground in Spring Valley," 3 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The authority is chartered by the state and funded mostly through federal grants and rent receipts. — Benjamin Weiser, New York Times, "New York City Housing Authority, Accused of Endangering Residents, Agrees to Oversight," 11 June 2018 He is heavily involved in Best Buddies, a special-needs charity, and used his money to charter a plane to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to deliver supplies. — David Smiley, Joey Flechas And Danny Rivero, miamiherald, "Hustle and Flow: How Philip Levine made the money that’s financing his bid for governor," 10 July 2018 Cheniere is looking to charter a number of LNG vessels to meet the growing demand, but Mr. Feygin expects the global LNG market to cool down from 2020 to 2023 as not enough investment has gone into the sector to boost production. — Costas Paris, WSJ, "Business Is Booming at the Panama Canal," 17 June 2018 In regular session, the board approved a resolution calling for a school bond election, and rejected a petition to charter the National University Academy Dual Language Institute. — Laura Groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How they voted, June 3," 3 June 2018 Many tour companies take visitors around the various islands, but the Royals will probably want to charter their own boat. — Nancy Trejos, USA TODAY, "Where should Harry and Meghan go for their honeymoon?," 25 May 2018 However, even the current president’s schedule doesn’t allow for much wiggle room, especially when a team has to charter a flight in and out of town specifically for the occasion. — Conor Orr, SI.com, "Eagles Are Planning a White House Visit. But Is There a Better Use of Everyone's Time?," 17 May 2018 There’s now a bill in the state legislature to charter a state bank of New Jersey. — David Dayen, The New Republic, "How a pot crisis restarted a conversation about public banking in America," 27 Apr. 2018 Troop 1250 has had 65 Eagle Scouts since being chartered in 1963. — Mary Schneidau Sullivan, Laurel Leader, "Keeping local news important [Old Town," 6 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

As investigators comb through county contracts and emails, cleveland.com took a look at how the charter government, with its checks and balances, is supposed to award contracts and purchase goods. — Karen Farkas, cleveland.com, "How does Cuyahoga County award contracts and purchase items?," 19 Mar. 2018 The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) reviews all charter school applications the Commission considers and rates all applications in three areas: educational program design, operations, and financial plans. — Trisha Powell Crain, AL.com, "Alabama commission approves two new public charter schools," 27 June 2017 At this point, it is aimed only at cities and counties operating under general state law, not charter cities such as San Jose and a number of others in Silicon Valley or charter counties like Santa Clara. — Mercury News Editorial Board, The Mercury News, "Editorial: Union bill in California legislature to limit local cities’ contracting decisions is an ambiguous mess," 21 Apr. 2017 Charter students hand deliver #yeson7069 letters to Gov Scott office. — Kristen M. Clark, miamiherald, "What are Floridians telling Rick Scott now about the schools bill? It’s mixed.," 25 May 2017 Charter school management organizations often spend a good deal of money to market and recruit students, which traditional districts don’t do. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "The problems with 2017 national rankings of America’s high schools," 21 May 2017 Charter cities, such as Palo Alto, would be exempt from new rules. — Kevin Kelly, The Mercury News, "City may weigh in on state bill against outsourcing," 12 May 2017 Charter school advocate Betsy DeVos won confirmation as education secretary Tuesday by the slimmest of margins, pushed to approval only by the historic tie-breaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence. — Orange County Register, "DeVos ekes out confirmation win as Pence casts historic vote," 7 Feb. 2017 The Excise and Licenses director is a charter officer position, one of 11 jobs in Hancock’s Cabinet that require the setting of their salaries in city ordinance, with council approval required for any change. — Jon Murray, The Denver Post, "Hancock administration seeks big boost in salary for Denver licensing director," 11 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'charter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for charter

Noun

Middle English chartre, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin chartula, from Latin, diminutive of charta — see chart entry 1

Verb

see charter entry 1

Noun

Old French chartre letter, formal document, from Late Latin chartula, from Latin, diminutive of charta sheet of papyrus

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Dictionary Entries near charter

Statistics for charter

Last Updated

9 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for charter

The first known use of charter was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for charter

charter

noun

English Language Learners Definition of charter

(Entry 1 of 3)

: a document issued by a government that gives rights to a person or group

: a document which declares that a city, town, school, or corporation has been established

: a document that describes the basic laws, principles, etc., of a group

charter

verb

English Language Learners Definition of charter (Entry 2 of 3)

: to give a charter to (a government, corporation, etc.)

: to hire (a ship, bus, etc.) for temporary use

charter

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of charter (Entry 3 of 3)

: hired for temporary use

See the full definition for charter in the English Language Learners Dictionary

charter

noun

char·ter | \ˈchär-tər

Kids Definition of charter

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an official document setting out the rights and duties of a group The charter grants broad trading rights.

2 : a document which declares that a city, town, school, or corporation has been established

3 : a document that describes the basic laws or principles of a group the charity's charter

charter

verb

chartered; chartering

Kids Definition of charter (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to grant a charter to The city was chartered in 1853.

2 : to hire (as a bus or an aircraft) for temporary use The team chartered a plane.

charter

noun

char·ter

Legal Definition of charter

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a grant or guarantee of rights, powers, or privileges from an authority or agency of a state or country a state bank charter — compare constitution

b : a written instrument that creates and defines the powers and privileges of a city, educational institution, or corporation — compare articles of incorporation

2 : a written instrument from the authorities of a society creating a lodge, branch, or chapter

3 : a lease of a ship especially for the delivery of cargo

— called also charter party