RECRUITS Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

recruits 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of recruit

as in hires

to provide with a paying job thousands of recent immigrants were recruited to build the nation's rail system

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recruits

2 of 2

noun

plural of recruit

as in apprentices

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

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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 recruits

Verb

Aguilar was told by fire academy recruits that her social media content helped bring them into the profession. — Vincent Medina, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026 The people helping recruits land scholarships are not necessarily involved in negotiating what comes with them. — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Each week, Blake recruits two equally under-qualified friends from the entertainment world to join his new business and tackle a challenge none of them are remotely prepared for. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026 Standout recruits among the mass of volunteers were selected for additional training and assigned to high-priority operations. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026 Ryu and Ken Masters’ paths collide again after Chun-Li (Liang) tracks them down and recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament. — Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2026 In the 1990 original, Quaid played a race team owner who recruits Cole into NASCAR, while Nicole Kidman played a neurosurgeon who becomes Cole’s love interest. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 Most of the industry recruits everyone and trains almost no one — a model critics have compared to multilevel marketing. — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026 To update standards, the department recruits a committee of educators and experts from around the state who meet over several months and produce a recommendation for course descriptions and grade-level expectations and benchmarks. — Jessica Meszaros, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026

Noun

The Ascenders were listed with 27 players rated as three-star recruits or higher coming into the season. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026 These kinds of appeals have historically been successful in attracting the diverse recruits – women and people of color – who have been critical to the military’s ability to meet its personnel needs. — Jeremiah Favara, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026 In some cases, the FTC said, recruits were not initially told they were being pitched an Amway business opportunity. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2026 Buford has 12 seniors or juniors rated 3-star recruits or higher. — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 17 Sep. 2026 On Friday, his family and other police recruits gathered for a balloon release and to share their memories of Russ. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 But the changes came after the early signing day for high school recruits and just before the transfer portal opened — not much time for new staffers to assess FSU’s personnel and fortify its roster. — Matt Baker, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 In the Army, by far the Pentagon's largest service, Hispanic recruits made up nearly 27% of new soldiers last year, up from just under 20% in 2020. — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 About five thousand recruits for a new police force have been vetted, but training has yet to begin. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for recruits

Verb

The workers’ comp rule that surprises almost everyone Most states require workers’ compensation insurance once a business hires its first employee.

— Gretchen Wittenmyer-Stone, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
In order to solidify his cover in Tehran and throw off the story’s villain, Qasim (Navid Negahban, Kandahar), Tucker hires a young Iranian-American woman, Zara (Bollywood star Elnaaz Norouzi, very good), to pose as his wife.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of hires

Noun

Beyond laboratory research, US officials intend to use the equipment as a training ground for apprentices and university recruits, helping train the next generation of weapons-control specialists.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
The bank did not disclose how many apprentices will be placed in Charlotte or other regions.

— Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of apprentices

Verb

There’s also a parade of comic supporting turns that recalls those classic Hawks and Sturges comedies in the breadth and depth of the character actors Cassavetes employs.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026
Additionally the company employs an all-local team of chefs, wilderness guides, and property managers—a commitment that helps address the region’s rural migration crisis, as young people leave their villages to find work in more urban areas.

— CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of employs

Noun

The senators, Roger Niello of Fair Oaks, Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh of Yucaipa and Steve Choi of Irvine, cited a UC San Diego faculty work group paper from last fall that found about 1 in 12 incoming freshmen tested below high school math standards.

— Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
That includes freshmen who picked their colleges at least in part based on promises made by coaches.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of freshmen

Noun

Despite being an expert in her craft, Godshalk communicated the principles of floral design to her students in a way that was easy for novices to digest.

— Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 19 Sep. 2026
At that time, people overtraded and treated the market like a casino, as novices began participating more frequently.

— David Capablanca, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of novices

Noun

Start with these six moves To put that approach into practice, Torres recommends these six exercises, which can be adapted for beginners and experienced lifters alike.

— Olivia LaBorde, AJC.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Playa Guiones is one of the most consistent beach breaks on the planet, and there are dozens of surf schools, camps, and a variety of waves for beginners to experts.

— Brent Rose, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of beginners

Noun

Miami played 11 rookies in last week’s opening loss in Vegas for a combined total of 436 snaps — the most snaps by rookies for any team in a Week 1 since at least 2006, when that statistic was first tracked by Sportradar.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
Impressive rookies — especially on defense How good were the Kansas City Chiefs’ rookies against the Broncos?

— Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of rookies

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“Recruits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recruits. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of recruits

verb

noun

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