recruit

1 of 2

verb

re·​cruit ri-ˈkrüt 

recruited; recruiting; recruits

transitive verb

1

a(1)

: to fill up the number of with new members : reinforce

recruit an army

(2)

: to enlist as a member of an armed service

b

: to increase or maintain the number of

America recruited her population from Europe

c

: to secure the services of : engage, hire

d

: to seek to enroll

recruit prospective students

2

: replenish

3

: to restore or increase the health, vigor, or intensity of

intransitive verb

: to enlist new members

recruiter noun

recruit

2 of 2

noun

1

: a fresh or additional supply

2

: a newcomer to a field or activity

specifically : a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces

3

: a former enlisted man of the lowest rank in the army

Synonyms of recruit

Verb

• hire
• employ

Noun

• apprentice
• novice
• freshman
• newcomer
• beginner
• rookie

Examples of recruit in a Sentence

Verb

He was recruited by the army after high school.

Public schools are recruiting new teachers.

College football coaches spend a lot of time recruiting high school athletes.

College football coaches spend a lot of time recruiting.

Some parents don't think the military should be recruiting from high schools.

We recruited a crew of volunteers to help us.

I recruited my brother to drive us to the concert.

She recruited four friends to distribute food to the homeless with her.

Noun

the newest recruit on the team

She's one of the department's new recruits.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The boyfriend of an 18-year-old college soccer player in Washington County, Pennsylvania, is accused of fatally stabbing her, putting her body in the hatch of her vehicle and recruiting his mother for help disposing of the body, authorities said. — Michael Guise, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026

Gobillard hopes to complete the harvest at the estate in about nine days, a job requiring around 120 workers recruited mostly from across France and Poland. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Noun

And how much of a team’s ranking is based on program history versus the number of returning starters — or perhaps the impact of portal recruits and/or true freshmen? — Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Two of Leeds United’s biggest summer signings, James Trafford for £40m from Manchester City and Harry Wilson on a free transfer from Fulham, are domestic recruits. — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French recrute, recrue fresh growth, new levy of soldiers, from Middle French, from recroistre to grow up again, from Latin recrescere, from re- + crescere to grow — more at crescent

First Known Use

Verb

1642, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Noun

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing recruit

• seaman recruit

Rhymes for recruit

• acute
• aleut
• astute
• beetroot
• breadfruit
• cheroot
• commute
• compute
• confute
• dilute
• dispute
• elute

Kids Definition

recruit

1 of 2 verb

re·​cruit ri-ˈkrüt 

1

a

: to increase the number of by enlisting new members

b

: to get the services of : engage

recruited new teachers

2

: replenish

recruited their finances

3

: to return or increase the health, energy, or strength of

recruiter noun

recruitment

-ˈkrüt-mənt

noun

recruit

2 of 2 noun

: a newcomer to a field or activity

especially : a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces

Etymology

Noun

from French recrute, recrue (noun) "new growth, a batch of new soldiers," derived from early French recroistre "to grow up again," from Latin recrescere (same meaning), from re- "again" and crescere "to grow"

Word Origin

The French formed the noun recrute, meaning "fresh growth," from their verb recroistre "to grow up again." This verb was taken from the Latin verb recrescere, which had the same meaning. Later, someone saw a likeness between "a fresh growth of plants" and "a fresh supply of soldiers." Thus they began using the word recrute for the new soldiers. In the 17th century this sense of recrute came to the attention of the English. They borrowed the word as recruit and began using it as a verb and noun. In time it acquired broader senses not related to the military.

Medical Definition

recruit

transitive verb

re·​cruit ri-ˈkrüt 

: to restore or increase the health, vigor, or intensity of