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
McMorris pointed to the city’s ongoing charter reform process as a potential opportunity to strengthen Ethics Commission independence and accountability measures. Teresa Liu, Daily News, 9 May 2026 Head out on a fishing charter Floridian Captain Wayne Senteno of Jax Fishing Charters knows the inshore fishing grounds and offshore hot spots in this part of Florida like the inside of his tackle box. Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
Verb
Pablo Neruda, then Chilean ambassador to France, had chartered the ship’s passage. Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026 The ship, owned by Pakistani interests and chartered by local businessmen, was carrying a large shipment of fuel, according to the Puntland official. Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for charter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charter
Noun
  • The international treaty regulates wildlife trade among the United States and more than 180 other governments to help ensure species are not overexploited through global commerce.
    Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 7 May 2026
  • Some of the information exchanges are occurring through the International Health Regulations, a treaty aimed at protecting the world from disease outbreaks that can cross borders.
    Helen Branswell, STAT, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • Several of these PACs are affiliated with an organization called Public First, which received a grant of twenty million dollars from Anthropic.
    Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
  • The state counterpart to the National Institutes of Health would fund grants and programs for research in biomedicine, climate, wildfire, and infectious disease, among other areas.
    Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • His late father, Miguel Oceguera, emigrated from Mexico and rented a cot from a family friend in the basement downstairs in 1973.
    Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
  • For regular Americans, the stagflation debate is not abstract, showing up in every job search and in every monthly cost from utility bills to rent payments.
    Tristan Bove, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • If portions of the page appear blank and an ad blocker is enabled, please disable the ad blocker and refresh the page to ensure full access to the content.
    Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 7 May 2026
  • Using magnetic fields, this system enables power transfer to electric ships without physical metal contact, shielding vital components from nature’s corrosive elements.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026
Noun
  • Kerr has reached an agreement in principle on a two-year contract to continue coaching the Warriors, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.
    Janie McCauley, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
  • After coaching this season under an expiring contract, the four-time championship coach has agreed to a new two-year deal, a league source confirmed to the Bay Area News Group on Saturday.
    Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 10 May 2026
Noun
  • University of Birmingham Enterprise has filed a patent for the use of BNCF catalysts in low-temperature water-splitting.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 May 2026
  • The style, which retails for $945, is currently available in a silver metallic iteration and a patent red version on the label’s website.
    Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 May 2026
Verb
  • Last summer's One Big Beautiful Bill Act gave DHS more than $170 billion to conduct immigration enforcement through 2029, including hiring tens of thousands of new ICE officers and CBP agents.
    Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 7 May 2026
  • Reluctantly hired to fill in for her is Cameron (Lewis Pullman), a scruffy drifter newly blown into town with some unfinished family business to attend to.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 May 2026
Verb
  • The searches were being conducted at daycares, businesses and some residences, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
    Mark Vancleave, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a group dedicated to hunters and fisherman, helped develop and pass the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act, which authorizes an annual $70 million investment through 2028 to fund research aimed at curbing the spread of the disease.
    Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Charter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charter. Accessed 12 May. 2026.

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