charter

noun

Save Word

char·ter | \ ˈchär-tər

Definition of charter

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a written instrument (see instrument entry 1 sense 5) 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 1) 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 Phrases Containing charter Learn More About charter

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 More than 30 parent and education advocacy groups are involved, including charter networks in Texas and Illinois. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 11 May 2022 If the charter bus was carrying a Notre Dame team, this never would have happened. — Kevin Tresolini, USA TODAY, 11 May 2022 Shortly after the team’s charter bus began the nearly 14-hour ride home, the driver, Tim Jones, was pulled over on Interstate 95 in Liberty County on April 20, also known as the annual marijuana holiday, Allen wrote. — Washington Post, 10 May 2022 Learning the history and traditions of the Kumeyaay is part of the school’s charter asit lies only steps away from the museum on the Barona reservation, said Julie Cushman, assistant principal for the Barona Indian Charter School. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2022 SpaceX brought up their U.S. and Italian replacements last week, after completing a charter trip to the station for a trio of businessmen earlier in April. — Arkansas Online, 7 May 2022 SpaceX brought up their U.S. and Italian replacements last week, after completing a charter trip to the station for a trio of businessmen. — Lorraine Taylor, Fox News, 6 May 2022 The charter issue became more pressing during the pandemic, when teams were flying before most of the country had been vaccinated. — Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2022 By Harford County charter, the council has until the following legislative session, which would have been Tuesday’s meeting, to override the veto of a bill. — Jason Fontelieu, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The shift to charter schools making up a majority of Utah’s top 10 list coincided with a change in the methodology used by U.S. News. — Connor Sanders, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 Apr. 2022 Kenshō will be available to charter with Y.CO in the summer of 2022. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2021 Resort staff can help fishing enthusiasts charter multiple types of boats, from traditional panga boats to luxury 80-foot yachts, from the harbor near the resort. — Roger Sands, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2021 Oil giants charter hundreds of tankers from owners such as Frontline to move oil world-wide. — Costas Paris And Benoit Faucon, WSJ, 10 Mar. 2022 The Spartans would charter a bus — with bathroom — and drive to Hyannis after school on Friday. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Nov. 2021 Rather than sail across the Atlantic and risk losing equipment to submarines, the Marines could simply charter airliners and fly to Norway, their vehicles and equipment waiting for them. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 1 Nov. 2021 As one of the few parks in the country not accessible by road or commercial flight, visitors must either charter a private bush plane, join a group trip, or hike in off the Dalton Highway. — Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 8 July 2021 Much of the team’s coaching staff — which was also besieged by positive tests in recent days — remains in California, ready to charter over to China in a few days and in plenty of time for official training. — Tim Reynolds, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Feb. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The rules would require charter schools to prove they are needed by demonstrating that traditional public schools are over-enrolled. — The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2022 Each of those districts enroll more than 300,000 students, compared to San Diego Unified’s approximately 95,000 district, non-charter students. — Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2022 Between the 2014-2015 and 2020-2021 academic years, non-charter public school enrollment in California declined by 378,674 students, or 6.7%, according to state data. — WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022 According to the paper, 782 of the 999 public, non-charter schools included in the study were in Maricopa County. — David Zweig, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2021 Last school year alone, charters gained 240,000 students, while non-charter public schools’ enrollment dropped 3.3%, a total loss of more than 1.45 million students. — Jeanne Allen, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2021 But the well of Campbell support floored her, particularly, Rousseau said, after a pro-charter Super PAC backed the councilor. — BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2021 Palm Beach County is asking for grades for two non-charter schools. — Scott Travis, sun-sentinel.com, 7 Sep. 2021 The Excel Center, a charter high school in Little Rock for students 19 years and older who did not earn a diploma, received state Board of Education approval Friday to establish campuses in Springdale, Jonesboro and Fort Smith. — Cynthia Howell, Arkansas Online, 10 July 2021 See More

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.

Learn More About charter

Dictionary Entries Near charter

chart caller

charter

charter chest

Statistics for charter

Last Updated

14 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Charter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charter. Accessed 17 May. 2022.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

More Definitions for charter

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

charter

transitive verb

Legal Definition of charter (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to establish, enable, or convey by charter charter a bank

2 : to lease or hire for usually exclusive and temporary use charter a ship