HIRE Synonyms: 108 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'hire' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of hire are charter , lease , let , and rent . While all these words 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

Q: In what contexts can 'charter' take the place of 'hire'?

The synonyms charter and hire are sometimes interchangeable, but charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use. // charter a bus to go to the game

Q: When can 'lease' be used instead of 'hire'?

The words lease and hire can be used in similar contexts, but 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

Q: When is it sensible to use 'rent' instead of 'hire'?

Although the words rent and hire have much in common, 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

Q: How is the word 'hire' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of hire are charter , lease , let , and rent . While all these words 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

Q: In what contexts can 'charter' take the place of 'hire'?

The synonyms charter and hire are sometimes interchangeable, but charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use. // charter a bus to go to the game

Q: When can 'lease' be used instead of 'hire'?

The words lease and hire can be used in similar contexts, but 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

Q: When is it sensible to use 'rent' instead of 'hire'?

Although the words rent and hire have much in common, 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

hire 1 of 2

verb

Definition of hire next

as in to rent

to take or get the temporary use of (something) for a set sum the Youngs hired a limousine for their daughter's wedding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to employ

to provide with a paying job the farm hires teenagers to pick blueberries in the summer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hire

2 of 2

noun

ˈhī(-ə)r

as in employ

the state of being provided with a paying job he spent most of his career in the hire of high-paying defense contractors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in salary

the money paid regularly to a person for labor or services used to mow lawns for hire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of hire are charter, lease, let, and rent. While all these words 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

In what contexts can charter take the place of hire?

The synonyms charter and hire are sometimes interchangeable, but charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

When can lease be used instead of hire?

The words lease and hire can be used in similar contexts, but 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 is it sensible to use rent instead of hire?

Although the words rent and hire have much in common, 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

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

we hired a car for the summer

decided to let the cottage to a young couple

In what contexts can charter take the place of hire?

The synonyms charter and hire are sometimes interchangeable, but charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

When can lease be used instead of hire?

The words lease and hire can be used in similar contexts, but 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 is it sensible to use rent instead of hire?

Although the words rent and hire have much in common, 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 hire

Verb

But ever since, the family has alleged individuals have encroached on their beach, forcing them to put up no trespassing signs and hire private security, according to a supplemental complaint filed by Brian against the Walton County Sheriff’s Office last year. —

Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026 In the film, Coel is a reclusive painter who’s hired by the children of a famous artist to pose as his assistant and gain access to a series of fabled canvases to secure their inheritance. —

Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026

Noun

This results in a growing financial incentive for firms to automate rather than hire. —

Ravi Kumar S, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026 That money was for mostly spent on new hires, Dodge said, with the village gaining 25 full-time employees and 40 part-time employees. —

Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hire

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hire

Verb

With the aid of French citizens, the Nazis looted more than 38,000 private apartments in the capital, and as many as 25,000 empty apartments that had been home to Jewish families were rented to non-Jewish tenants.

— Shannon Fogg, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
California’s elite putting up their nanny or private chef in a backyard pad — or renting them out as Airbnbs — will do little for the economics (or politics) of the housing crunch, but will help around the margins.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026

Definition of rent

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hipsters

hire

hired

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“Hire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hire. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.

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Synonyms of hire

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