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 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

His company charters or crowdsources seats on helicopter flights from the city’s three commercial heliports. — Katie Honan, WSJ, "In New York City, a Helipad Is a Prime Perk," 17 Nov. 2018 But the County Council is considering a resolution that would pose a question to the voters in the November election: Should their charter be amended to require the County Council to confirm the county executive’s choice of police chief? — Talia Richman, baltimoresun.com, "Should the Anne Arundel County Council get to approve the county executive's pick for police chief?," 3 July 2018 Lacey had been on the council for 18 years, since the town changed its charter to establish a mayoral form of government with an 11-member legislative council. — Johanna Seltz, BostonGlobe.com, "Weymouth councilor resigns after 18 years," 2 July 2018 The foundation, in his view, had accomplished almost nothing since the ICO and now ran the risk that federal authorities would revoke its charter. — Gideon Lewis-kraus, WIRED, "The Blockchain: A Love Story—And a Horror Story," 18 June 2018 The three groups collectively cost $1.1 million a year to operate, according to their charters. — Stacy Cowley, New York Times, "Mick Mulvaney, Consumer Bureau’s Acting Chief, Purges Its Advisory Boards," 6 June 2018 Five people died in a collision in October, while nine passengers of a charter bus were killed and dozens more injured in 2012 after the vehicle slipped on ice and fell 200 feet into a ravine, the paper reported. — Benjamin Brown, Fox News, "7 members of Washington state family among 8 killed in Oregon crash," 15 Aug. 2018 All shuttles and charter buses will be temporarily relocated to the domestic arrivals roadway on Level 1. — Deasia Paige, Detroit Free Press, "McNamara Terminal moves aimed at public transport users to Metro Airport," 12 July 2018 The school's partnership with the Greater Sacramento Urban League, required by its charter and necessary to qualify it for a Workforce Innovation and Quality Act exemption, also is questioned in the report. — Diana Lambert, sacbee, "Adult charter could lose state funds, face sanctions after state review finds questionable practices," 3 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Members can then, in turn, use the tokens to charter a private jet. ... — Dave Michaels And Gabriel T. Rubin, WSJ, "Private-Jet Cryptocurrency Gets Pass From SEC," 3 Apr. 2019 The captain of another boat that capsized on the same day and the manager of a travel agency that chartered the boat have also been charged for being careless leading to injuries. — Washington Post, "Thai official: 5 reported missing from sunken boat are alive," 9 July 2018 Woods said a main reason many boats are unlicensed is because owners believe their vessels won’t pass an inspection and would rather run the risk of chartering anyway than make small improvements to meet regulations. — Hailey Mensik, chicagotribune.com, "Coast Guard warns of illegal charter boats: 'They’re taking your money, and they might also take your life'," 27 June 2018 Brokers in Singapore and London said capesize vessels, the largest ships that move bulk commodities like iron ore, coal and aluminum, were chartered in the spot market for as low as $8,200 a day on Thursday, a $500 decline from Wednesday. — Costas Paris, WSJ, "Free-Falling Freight Rates Spell Trouble For Shipping," 7 Feb. 2019 From there, the star had chartered two planes to transport everyone from Brown Field Municipal Airport to Fort Wayne, IN for another show the following day. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "Reba McEntire Honors Late Band Members Who Died in a Tragic Plane Crash 28 Years Ago," 18 Mar. 2019 The cruise portion of the itinerary will take place on the 56-passenger Ganges Voyager, a three-year-old vessel that Avalon is chartering. — Gene Sloan, USA TODAY, "Avalon Waterways to add India cruise tours in 2019," 19 Mar. 2018 Boy Scout Troop 1250, chartered at St. Mary of the Mills Church and led by Scoutmaster Brian Switalski, had a full year that included camping, kayaking and community service. — Mary Schneidau Sullivan, Laurel Leader, "Keeping local news important [Old Town," 6 July 2018 The accident occurred early Tuesday morning as two chartered buses operated by a Houston firm were returning students and staff of the Falcon High School band after a weekend performance at Disney World. — Emily Foxhall, Houston Chronicle, "At least 11 from Channelview ISD bus crash remain hospitalized," 14 Mar. 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.

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Statistics for charter

Last Updated

27 Mar 2019

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