charter 1 of 2

Definition of charternext

charter

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word charter different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of charter are hire, lease, let, and rent. While all these words mean "to engage or grant for use at a price," charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

How do hire and let relate to one another, in the sense of charter?

Both 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

In what contexts can lease take the place of charter?

While in some cases nearly identical to charter, 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

When would rent be a good substitute for charter?

The words rent and charter are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of charter
Noun
The Ada County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a charter-school bus flipped onto its side west of Meridian. Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 9 Jan. 2026 Davie is expected to remain in post until at least March, when the government’s public consultation on BBC charter renewal closes. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
There are no commercial flights from the capital, so the best option is to charter a plane for the hour or so trip or take a day’s drive from a commercial airport on the coast. Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 21 Dec. 2025 Having won in 2022 for the first time on a 52-footer, last year Haynes chartered a powerful 70ft Volvo Open 70 and hired a mainly professional crew of international veterans — some of them round-the-world-race winners — to take overall victory. Andrew Rice, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for charter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charter
Noun
  • In 2026, the governance vacuum will deepen—the Indus Waters Treaty suspended, Ethiopia’s Nile dam operational with no binding agreement, China building the world’s largest dam with no downstream treaty.
    Ian Bremmer, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
  • After 15 years, Spanish troops dispersed the settlement—which had grown to 4,000, and had its own cavalry—but subsequent maroon groups forced colonizers to sign treaties with them.
    Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The reductions came from position cuts, costs offset to Title I and other grants, IT reductions, and modest changes to current staffing allocation formulas.
    Adam Thompson, CBS News, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The number of grants canceled could be as high as 2,800, according to STAT.
    Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 14 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The best way to see it (from the outside only) is by renting a boat for two and rowing out into the Connecticut River.
    Cailey Rizzo, Travel + Leisure, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Hosts who rent out their entire home on a short-term basis are already required to pay a two-year license fee of $1,129, money that goes toward the cost of enforcing the city’s vacation rental regulations.
    Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Fewer parts and smaller boosters could reduce costs and enable large-scale production.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 15 Jan. 2026
  • She’s particularly drawn to bags like this for the trolley sleeve, which securely attaches to a suitcase and enables hands-free travel.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The contract includes a no-trade provision allowing Bregman to block deals without his consent.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Jan. 2026
  • Videos surfaced on social media showing Doncic taunting Schroder for turning down a four-year, $84 million contract with the Lakers in 2021.
    Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The team has already developed a basic blueprint for this substance and applied for a patent.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 Jan. 2026
  • In other words, competition and patent protection work in concert to drive innovation and economic growth.
    David J. Kappos, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Despite Sismanis’ prior record, the town approved the license renewal, the lawsuit alleges, endangering the female minors Sismanis often hired.
    Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 16 Jan. 2026
  • There were sufficient funds to hire private tutors and for a lengthy tour of Central America and the Caribbean during a period of extreme political instability in Venezuela at the end of the 1950s.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The program, which opened applications Thursday, authorizes refundable tax credits, often referred to as school vouchers, to reimburse families for private school tuition, tutoring, testing, transportation and curricula.
    Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 20 Jan. 2026
  • False statements in applications filed with the state’s unemployment insurance benefits program led the California Employment Development Department to authorize Bank of America to mail debit cards to the football players.
    City News Service, Oc Register, 20 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Charter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charter. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.

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