hire

noun \ ˈhī(-ə)r \

Definition of hire

1 a :payment for the temporary use of something

b :payment for labor or personal services :wages

2 a :the act or an instance of hiring (see ²hire)

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

See hire defined for English-language learners

See hire defined for kids

Examples of hire in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of hire from the Web

WKU is far better positioned for long-term success, and while the 35-year-old Sanford was a bit of a risky hire, his energy and enthusiasm will continue to recruit plenty of talent to stock a program already on a nice roll.

— gentry estes, The Courier-Journal, "Staff Roundtable: Who made the best football hire? IU, WKU or Purdue?," 21 Aug. 2017
Since President Donald Trump prioritized sending judges to the border, several new Department of Justice hires have been assigned to the three San Diego area courts, increasing the number of judges assigned there to 13 from eight.

— kate morrissey, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Immigration processing speeds up in San Diego area courts," 18 Aug. 2017
Unlike original books, tie-ins are work-for-hire gigs.

— jason heller, The Atlantic, "My Unusual Path to Writing My First Book," 7 Aug. 2017
But like all Trump hires, there’s almost nothing Scaramucci has said in the past his new boss will hold against him.

— mark armstrong, Longreads, "Meet ‘The Mooch,’ Your New White House Communications Director," 22 July 2017
The new hire was first reported by Bloomberg News, and ends a weeks-long search by the White House, reportedly encouraged by White House counsel Don McGahn.

— vanityfair.com, "ty-cobb-trump-legal-team," 15 July 2017
She was eventually sidelined at A.O.L. partly on account of her propensity for expensive hires, costly bets, and a singular management style.

— william d. cohan, The Hive, "Is Arianna Huffington Worse for Uber Than Travis Kalanick?," 10 July 2017
In April, McAuliffe commuted the death sentence of Ivan Teleguz in a murder-for-hire case because of what the governor described as a flawed sentencing process.

— the washington post, AL.com, "Virginia governor rejects clemency for William C. Morva, inmate facing execution tonight," 6 July 2017
Turnover is very low and just about all investment professionals start as summer interns, an approach that exposes potential hires to a three-month period of scrutiny.

— landon thomas jr., New York Times, "Tech Stocks Boom, but Some Stock Pickers Are Wary," 5 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of hire

Middle English, from Old English hȳr; akin to Old Saxon hūria hire

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

hire Synonyms

Synonyms

employ, employment, engagement

Antonyms

joblessness, nonemployment, unemployment

Related Words

appointment, assignment, conscription, enlistment, recruitment; incumbency, tenure; occupation, place, position, post, situation, work

Near Antonyms

boot, discharge, dismissal, firing, removal, sack, severance; demotion, suspension; furlough, layoff, leave, liberty, retirement

hire

verb

Definition of hire

hired; hiring

transitive verb

1 a :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

—

hirer

noun

See hire defined for English-language learners

Examples of hire in a Sentence

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 of hire from the Web

The court documents outline how Lee allegedly told authorities the operation worked: Soskin hired a man for $5,000 per trip to drive a trailer to California to purchase marijuana, and Soskin and the driver made trips every five weeks.

— robert mccoppin, McHenry County, "Authorities, banks both look to seize McHenry County mansion where huge pot bust took place," 30 Aug. 2017
In the ensuing eight months, Edsall hired a staff and recruited — most of his time devoted to program-building — but recent weeks have been about team and actual football.

— mike anthony, courant.com, "As New Season Kicks Off, UConn Players Say Edsall Has Them More Than Ready," 30 Aug. 2017
The New York Jets, however, hired away Morton in late January to serve as offensive coordinator, opening the door for the Saints to find a replacement.

— herbie teope, NOLA.com, "For Saints' Curtis Johnson, there's 'no place like home'," 30 Aug. 2017
That work is the responsibility of North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners, a group of companies hired by the Texas Department of Transportation to rebuild the freeway.

— gordon dickson, star-telegram, "Tired of fighting road construction downtown? Here’s how long it’s going to last," 28 Aug. 2017
Students and the community were outraged to the point where a local radio DJ locked himself into the tower until enough funds could be raised for the university to hire a new carillonneur.

— Naperville Sun, "Letters to the editor: Support Naperville's Carillon," 25 Aug. 2017
Brown gave Self his first job, hiring him as a KU graduate assistant for the 1985-86 season.

— jesse newell, kansascity, "Bill Self’s Naismith Hall of Fame induction ceremony will have KU presence," 25 Aug. 2017
Colleges have hired armies of Title IX administrators.

— ann friedman, The Cut, "The Sexual-Assault Generation Gap," 25 Aug. 2017
Then, when a slot for a singer opened at Atlantic City's 500 Club, Lewis talked the owners into hiring Martin.

— maria carter, Country Living, "Inside the 20-Year Feud of Legendary Comedy Duo Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin," 22 Aug. 2017

Origin and Etymology of hire

see ¹hire

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

hire Synonyms

Synonyms

charter, engage, lease, rent

Antonyms

ax (or axe), can, discharge, dismiss, fire, sack

Related Words

sublease, sublet; check out; arrange (for), bespeak, book, contract (for), order, reserve, sign up (for)

Near Antonyms

furlough, lay off, lock out

Synonym Discussion of hire

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

British Definition of HIRE

hire

noun

British Definition of hire

:rental

the hire of equipment

—often used attributively

a hire car

— for hire or less commonly on hire

HIRE Defined for English Language Learners

hire

noun

Definition of hire for English Language Learners

: someone who has been hired for a job

hire

verb

Definition of hire for English Language Learners

: to give work or a job to (someone) in exchange for wages or a salary
: to use or get the services of (someone) to do a particular job
: to pay to use (something)

HIRE Defined for Kids

hire

verb \ ˈhīr \

Definition of hire for Students

hired; hiring

1 :¹employ 1

The company hired new workers.

2 :to get the temporary use of in return for pay

They hired a hall for the party.

3 :to take a job

He hired out as a cook.

Law Dictionary

hire

noun

legal Definition of hire

1 :payment for the temporary use of something or for labor or services

2 a :the act or an instance of hiring

from the date of hire until now

b :the state of being hired :employment

while he was in the hire of the defendant

3 :one who is hired

all new hires will enjoy the same medical benefits

— for hire

:available for use or service in return for payment

hire

verb

legal Definition of hire

hired; hiring

transitive verb

1 :to engage the personal services of or the temporary use of for a fixed sum

2 :to grant the personal services of or the temporary use of

intransitive verb

:to take employment

—

hirer

noun

Learn More about hire

See words that rhyme with hire Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hire Spanish Central: Translation of hire Nglish: Translation of hire for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of hire for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up hire? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

hire

Definition of hire

People Are Reading

Examples of hire in a Sentence

Recent Examples of hire from the Web

Origin and Etymology of hire

hire Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

hire

Definition of hire

hirer

Examples of hire in a Sentence

Recent Examples of hire from the Web

Origin and Etymology of hire

hire Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of hire

Phrases Related to HIRE

Related Phrases

British Definition of HIRE

hire

British Definition of hire

HIRE Defined for English Language Learners

hire

Definition of hire for English Language Learners

hire

Definition of hire for English Language Learners

HIRE Defined for Kids

hire

Definition of hire for Students

Law Dictionary

hire

legal Definition of hire

hire

legal Definition of hire

hirer

Learn More about hire

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066