hire

verb

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

Synonyms of hire

• rent

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

But among recent high-profile moves, Alibaba reportedly hired Google DeepMind researcher Hao Zhou to support Qwen AI development. —Evelyn Cheng,anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 June 2026

In February, The New York Times reported DHS hired a social media manager accused of White-nationalist messaging. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 June 2026

Matt Guttman, hired away from ABC News by Weiss to become senior national correspondent, is one name being mentioned, along with Major Garrett, the network’s chief Washington correspondent. —Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026

The district hired large consulting firms from out of state in 2010 and again in 2012 to evaluate which schools would meet the criteria for closure. —Julia McWilliams, The Conversation, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing hire

• for hire
• hire out
• hire purchase
• on hire
• ply for hire/business/trade
• pre-hire

Rhymes for hire

• acquire
• attire
• bonfire
• campfire
• ceasefire
• conspire
• desire
• enquire
• entire
• greenbrier
• gunfire
• homebuyer

Kids Definition

hire

1 of 2 noun

ˈhī(ə)r 

1

a

: payment for temporary use

b

: payment for services : wages

2

a

: the act of hiring

b

: the state of being hired : employment

hire

2 of 2 verb

hired; hiring

1

: employ entry 1 sense 2

hire a new crew

2

: to get the temporary use of for a set sum

hire a hall

3

: to take a job

hired out as a cook

hirer noun

Legal Definition

hire

1 of 2 noun

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

hire

2 of 2 verb

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