charter

noun

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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 Learn More about charter

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Synonyms for charter

Synonyms: Verb

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 California funds district and charter schools based on their enrollment. — Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Judge certifies class-action lawsuit challenging CA school funding," 8 Apr. 2021 Many private, charter and public schools have reopened in the Bay Area, following county requirements and a litany of mitigation efforts. — Meghan Bobrowsky, San Francisco Chronicle, "Defying union leaders, Oakland teachers group protests April schools reopening," 17 Mar. 2021 This information is particularly critical in a highly transient city like D.C., where students frequently switch between traditional public and charter schools. — Washington Post, "D.C. has failed to adequately collect detailed student education data, audit report finds," 12 Mar. 2021 The Utah Jazz's departing Delta charter flight struck a flock of birds on Tuesday, necessitating a return to the airport — and several minutes of terror for Jazz coaches, staff and players. — Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Gordon Monson: As Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz know, sometimes leaving on a jet plane is nobody’s idea of a good time," 1 Apr. 2021 The Utah Jazz's team charter was forced to return to the gate at Salt Lake City International Airport Tuesday afternoon due to a bird strike. — Mark Osborne, ABC News, "Utah Jazz team plane makes emergency landing after bird strike," 30 Mar. 2021 The proposal also would prohibit schools from being penalized with lower school grades based on test scores, which in some cases can force low-performing schools to implement turnaround plans or be taken over by charter-school operators. — Ryan Dailey, orlandosentinel.com, "Senate panel votes to shield K-12 children from testing accountability and colleges from COVID lawsuits," 30 Mar. 2021 The Ohio Supreme Court has ordered the Hamilton County Board of Elections to prepare new ballot language for Cincinnati’s affordable housing charter amendment. — Hannah K. Sparling, The Enquirer, "Issue 3: Court orders new ballot language for affordable housing amendment," 30 Mar. 2021 Soloy Helicopters has a fleet of 19 helicopters providing charter services primarily in Alaska. — BostonGlobe.com, "Richest Czech man among five killed in Alaska helicopter crash," 29 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The operation will extend service to Wheels Up members and customers who charter and share private jet flights. — Doug Gollan, Forbes, "These Private Jet Companies Are Going VTOL," 10 Apr. 2021 Standing before a statue of Maggie Walker, the nation’s first Black woman to charter a bank, McClellan struggled to be heard over passing traffic. — Washington Post, "Many Democrats said it was time for a Black woman to lead Virginia. But the party establishment is lining up behind Terry McAuliffe.," 9 Apr. 2021 Pinsky also noted a finding by auditors that there was no support of the basis to charter a flight for the shipment of the first tests at a cost of $464,369 when the second tests were shipped for a cost of $14,265. — Brian Witte, Star Tribune, "Maryland audit faults procurement of 500K virus tests," 2 Apr. 2021 When the superintendent, Vincent Matthews, proposed using grant money to hire a consultant to help devise a reopening plan, the board voted against it, in part because the consultant had connections to charter schools. — New York Times, "In San Francisco, Turmoil Over Reopening Schools Turns a City Against Itself," 29 Mar. 2021 Callender, the Lake County Republican, said there will soon be a substitute, or reworked version, of the bill, possibly this week, incorporating some changes to charter school funding, since advocates believe HB 1 is unfair to charter schools. — cleveland, "School funding reform is back in the Ohio General Assembly as lawmakers look at the state budget," 8 Mar. 2021 Individual spaces cost $45,000 and to charter for a guest’s own group: $540,000. — Laurie Werner, Forbes, "An Ultra Bucket List Trip For 2022: Climb An Unexplored Peak In Antarctica," 5 Mar. 2021 The organizations teamed up to charter a plane and secure authorizations enabling the immigrants to be included among the 200 arrivals allowed into Israel each day. — Marcus M. Gilban, sun-sentinel.com, "South American immigrants arrive in Israel after 40 days in limbo," 3 Mar. 2021 The cost to charter a VIP 757 similar to Trump’s would run around $25,000 per hour, plus repositioning costs, extra charges for WiFi, catering and various airport fees. — Doug Gollan, Forbes, "Donald Trump’s Private Jet Downgrade Was Bigger Than You Think," 10 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective As has been the case in the last several election cycles, the pro-charter reform camp and traditional public school supporters have each backed a slate of candidates. — Arika Herron, The Indianapolis Star, "Balance of power on Indianapolis Public Schools board up for grabs in election," 4 Nov. 2020 Instead, the union has emphasized calling voters, which the pro-charter side has done as well. — Howard Blume Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "L.A. school board races show split between union- and charter-backed candidates," 3 Nov. 2020 Virus cases prompted shifts to virtual instruction Thursday for a school district in Hartman, a charter high school in Little Rock and a junior high in Pocahontas. — Lara Farrar, Arkansas Online, "Case increase is third-largest at 1,202," 23 Oct. 2020 Allen is the choice of pro-charter education reform groups like Stand for Children and RISE Indy, which are largely supportive of the innovation network and efforts to expand school choice initiatives. — Arika Herron, The Indianapolis Star, "Balance of power up for grabs in Indianapolis Public Schools board races," 12 Oct. 2020 Ludtke was a principal of a charter high school and had previously worked in the Clark County School District, and her daughters took advanced classes at a district middle school. — Erin Richards, USA TODAY, "America's missing kids: Amid COVID and online school, thousands of students haven't shown up," 28 Sep. 2020 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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Last Updated

20 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Charter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charter. Accessed 21 Apr. 2021.

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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

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