hire

noun

\ ˈhī(-ə)r

Definition of hire

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : payment for the temporary use of something

b : payment for labor or personal services : wages

2a : the act or an instance of hiring (see hire entry 2) laws regarding the hire of workers

b : the state of being hired : employment

3 British : rental the hire of equipment —often used attributively a hire car

4 : one who is hired starting wage for the new hires

for hire or less commonly on hire

: available for use or service in return for payment They have boats for hire. willing to do farm work for hire

hire

verb

hired; hiring

Definition of hire (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to engage the personal services of for a set sum hire a crew

b : to engage the temporary use of for a fixed sum hire a hall

2 : to grant the personal services of or temporary use of for a fixed sum hire themselves out

3 : to get done for pay hire the mowing done

intransitive verb

: to take employment hire out as a guide during the tourist season

Other Words from hire Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about hire

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Synonyms & Antonyms for hire

Synonyms: Noun

employ, employment, engagement

Synonyms: Verb

charter, engage, lease, rent

Antonyms: Noun

joblessness, nonemployment, unemployment

Choose the Right Synonym for hire

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 hire in a Sentence

Noun

The company has a few new hires. The hire of a car and other equipment will of course incur a supplementary charge.

Verb

She had very little office experience, so the company wouldn't hire her. We hired someone to clean the office once a week. The company isn't hiring right now.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

About 9% of workers employed in the for-hire trucking industry are covered by union contracts, compared with 60% to 70% before deregulation, said Michael Belzer, an associate professor of economics at Wayne State University in Michigan. — Jennifer Smith, WSJ, "Trucker YRC, Teamsters Tumble Toward Contract Deadline," 20 Mar. 2019 Uber recently bought electric-bike-hire firm Jump for $200 million. — David Meyer, Fortune, "Xiaomi Surge, Trade War and Tesla, Uber and Lime: CEO Daily for July 10, 2018," 10 July 2018 The companies opposed a cap on for-hire vehicle licenses enacted by New York City in 2018 to stem the growth of ride-hailing cars, which have swelled to 80,000 vehicles in about five years. — Paul Berger, WSJ, "Unusual Alliance Leads Congestion-Pricing Movement," 21 Feb. 2019 Cormier says the focus of the operation is a business that knowingly offered for hire immigrants in the country illegally to other businesses, including farms, meat processors, grain companies and restaurants. — Fox News, "The Latest: Businesses in Nebraska, Minnesota searched," 9 Aug. 2018 However, the bill allows for all for-hire vehicle companies to add wheelchair-accessible vehicles to their fleets. — Johana Bhuiyan, Recode, "Uber and Lyft are fighting a critical battle against New York City — and this time, they might not win," 2 Aug. 2018 Xavier men's basketball head coach Travis Steele appeared to put the finishing touches on his coaching staff with the Wednesday announcement of for Musketeers Dante Jackson's hire to fill an assistant coaching role. — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "Travis Steele adds third assistant to 2018-19 Xavier coaching staff in former Musketeer Dante Jackson," 11 July 2018 Kim also faces charges of masturbation for hire and massage without license. — Raisa Habersham, ajc, "2 arrested in prostitution sting at massage parlor," 21 June 2018 Not only were white applicants recommended for hire more often, but they also were recommended for higher salaries. — Michael Harriot, The Root, "Study: You’re More Likely to Be Hired if You’re Referred by Someone White," 12 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The overall pace of logistics hiring slowed during the first quarter. — Jennifer Smith, WSJ, "Truckers Cut Payrolls As Freight Demand Softens," 5 Apr. 2019 Ethiopian-Israelis’ lives have been far from easy in Israel, marked heavily by economic disadvantage and pervasive discrimination that includes hiring bias, random identification checks, and police brutality. — Vogue, "Eden Dersso Is the Changing Face of Tel Aviv’s Hip-Hop Scene," 2 Apr. 2019 When non-disabled people hire people with down syndrome to bypass long waits in lines for rides at amusement parks, they aren’t held accountable. — Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "The College Admissions Scandal Could Have Lasting Impacts for Disabled People," 13 Mar. 2019 Indeed, no engine in production could meet the specifications Aston laid out for the Valkyrie, so the automaker hired Cosworth, the famous British engineering firm that specializes in high-performance and racing engines, to build one from scratch. — Matthew Jancer, Popular Mechanics, "Pride of the Valkyries," 29 Jan. 2019 After the success of his first movie, Cuarón was hired to direct an adaptation of the classic Frances Hodgson Burnett novel, A Little Princess. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Who Is Roma Director Alfonso Cuarón? You've Definitely Seen His Incredible Movies," 23 Feb. 2019 Technically, Intel promoted from within to hire Swan, who had served as the company’s chief financial officer since 2016. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Intel makes Bob Swan its permanent CEO, maintaining a slow, steady course away from the PC," 31 Jan. 2019 My theory is because de Becker's primary area of clientele is Hollywood, not tech, is that [Lauren] hired him. — Rose Minutaglio, Town & Country, "How Exactly Did The National Enquirer Get Those Private Jeff Bezos Texts?," 9 Feb. 2019 The Cheat Sheet reports that Tony was only 8 and Andrew was just 6 when they were first hired, and the two have grown up right before viewers' very eyes, from young tykes to quarreling teens. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "These 'Blue Bloods' Stars Are Actually Related in Real Life," 4 Jan. 2019

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