Synonyms of recruit

recruit 1 of 2

verb

ri-ˈkrüt 

as in to hire

to provide with a paying job

thousands of recent immigrants were recruited to build the nation's rail system

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hire
• employ
• engage
• enlist
• retain
• pay
• place
• sign (up or on)
• job
• fee
• assume
• lay on
• take on
• partner
• promote
• rehire
• reemploy
• reengage
• upgrade
• contract
• apprentice
• subcontract
• keep (on)
• scout
• headhunt
• advance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• can
• dismiss
• sack
• discharge
• fire
• ax
• lay off
• lock out
• furlough

recruit

2 of 2

noun

as in apprentice

a person who is just starting out in a field of activity

the skydiving instructor and other experienced jumpers tried to encourage the new recruits on their first jump

Synonyms & Similar Words

• apprentice
• novice
• freshman
• newcomer
• beginner
• rookie
• fledgling
• virgin
• student
• greenhorn
• tenderfoot
• newbie
• tyro
• novitiate
• colt
• neophyte
• rook
• cub
• trainee
• candidate
• punk
• boot
• babe
• abecedarian
• amateur
• learner
• dabbler
• entrant
• probationer
• dilettante

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• veteran
• vet
• master
• expert
• pro
• old hand
• professional
• old-timer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of recruit

Verb

Such linkups are instrumental in recruiting a new clientele for the brand, the designer said. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

For that sequence, the production recruited migrants through associations in Alicante to work as background actors. — Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Noun

And the party secured their dream recruit in Cooper, 69, a two-term governor and the longest-serving state attorney general in North Carolina's history. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

The couple pleaded guilty in 2020 to conspiracy charges after prosecutors accused them of paying $500,000 to get their daughters admitted to the University of Southern California as crew recruits, even though neither had participated in the sport. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026