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 approved 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 & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about charter

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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

The second post discussed the misuse of public tax dollars in the state’s charter and voucher sector as well as Pence’s role in the expansion of vouchers. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "What’s really going on in Indiana’s public schools," 12 July 2018 All traditional public, charter and accredited non-public schools will be eligible for one device for every 250 students enrolled. — Arika Herron, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana schools can get handheld metal detectors for free through new state safety program," 9 July 2018 The money would also go toward lifting the quality of pre-K programs run by public, charter and private schools and eligible private providers. — Bill Turque And Mará Rose Williams, kansascity, "James launches campaign for sales tax hike to fund pre-K," 3 July 2018 The credit union was placed in a conservatorship in December 2017 by the National Credit Union Administration, a federal agency that regulates, charters and supervises federal credit unions. — Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville Metro Police Officers Credit Union closes amid FBI probe," 29 June 2018 Charter school enrollment is growing in Arizona, but what's the difference between a charter and your neighborhood district school? — Jake Goodrick, azcentral, "For this Phoenix immigrant a choice of school offers path to college," 26 June 2018 The program is open to children registered at schools in the Katy Independent School District as well as those who attend charter and parochial schools within the Katy ISD. — Karen Zurawski, Houston Chronicle, "KCM Red Apple program sees greater need," 13 June 2018 The Department of Public Health anonymously polled 2,425 high school students at 38 public, charter and vocational schools across the state in the spring of 2017. — Matthew Ormseth, courant.com, "(Less) Risky Business: Survey Says Fewer Connecticut Teens Drinking, Using Drugs, Having Sex," 13 June 2018 This is a big deal, especially considering the important subjects under discussion: a potential plastics charter and the looming trade war between participants. — Graeme Mcmillan, WIRED, "While You Were Offline: International House of ... Breakfast? Bacon? Befuddlement?," 10 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In the end, El-Sayed’s campaign charters a jet, and Ocasio-Cortez, after traveling all night, spends the day rallying thousands across the state. — Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, "How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Other Progressives are Defining the Midterms," 15 Oct. 2018 The Liberty Helicopters chopper had been chartered for a private photo shoot. — Amir Vera, CNN, "NTSB calls for ban on 'unsafe harness systems' after NYC helicopter crash," 19 Mar. 2018 The means of transportation would be hundreds of flights a year by Iranian and Syrian aircraft, most of which were chartered from commercial airliners. — chicagotribune.com, "Trump should block Iran's air corridor to Syria," 2 Mar. 2018 The office chartered the flight anyway, at a cost of $17,760, the report said. — Louise Radnofsky, WSJ, "HHS Watchdog Pushes to Recoup $341,000 Wasted by Ex-Secretary Price on Travel," 13 July 2018 Boise City chartered the Boise Rapid Transit Company, an electric street railway system, on May 28, 1890, just weeks before Idaho became the 43rd state of the Union on July 3. — Arthur Hart, idahostatesman, "In late 19th century, electric streetcars were a big deal in Boise | Idaho Statesman," 4 May 2018 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The report said none of the charter flights complied. — NBC News, "Watchdog: $341,000 wasted on travel for former high-flying HHS chief Tom Price," 13 July 2018 Justifications for using charter flights were sometimes flimsy, the report concluded. — Louise Radnofsky, WSJ, "HHS Watchdog Pushes to Recoup $341,000 Wasted by Ex-Secretary Price on Travel," 13 July 2018

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

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Dictionary Entries near charter

Statistics for charter

Last Updated

4 Dec 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