recruit

1 of 2

verb

re·​cruit ri-ˈkrüt How to pronounce recruit (audio)
recruited; recruiting; recruits

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: to fill up the number of with new members : reinforce
recruit an army
(2)
: to enlist as a member of an armed service
b
: to increase or maintain the number of
America recruited her population from Europe
c
: to secure the services of : engage, hire
d
: to seek to enroll
recruit prospective students
2
3
: to restore or increase the health, vigor, or intensity of

intransitive verb

: to enlist new members
recruiter noun

recruit

2 of 2

noun

1
: a fresh or additional supply
2
: a newcomer to a field or activity
specifically : a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces
3
: a former enlisted man of the lowest rank in the army

Examples of recruit in a Sentence

Verb He was recruited by the army after high school. Public schools are recruiting new teachers. College football coaches spend a lot of time recruiting high school athletes. College football coaches spend a lot of time recruiting. Some parents don't think the military should be recruiting from high schools. We recruited a crew of volunteers to help us. I recruited my brother to drive us to the concert. She recruited four friends to distribute food to the homeless with her. Noun the newest recruit on the team She's one of the department's new recruits.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The producers recruited a variety of investors, including a small distributor, LBS, as well as an earlier version of Fremantle (which had distributed the show internationally and saw the popularity of Hasselhoff in Germany), UK outlet ITV and the Chris-Craft TV station group. Michael Schneider, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Shakira recruits Bizarrap and Alejandro again for new songs, while tapping new collaborators, including Cardi B and Grupo Frontera. Griselda Flores, Billboard, 3 Mar. 2024 By every identifiable measure, from tradition and resources to recruiting prowess and TV ratings, the distance from first place to last isn’t nearly as great as in the Big Ten, the SEC and even the ACC. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 Ash Arnott, a former assistant coach with the program, coached Joe but kept an eye on the younger Furphy and later recruited him in 2018. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 1 Mar. 2024 Low starting salaries have also hindered efforts to recruit workers from a variety of backgrounds. Elizabeth A. Harris, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Shand told authorities that Patel recruited him to transport Indian nationals who illegally crossed the border into Minnesota, according to a criminal affidavit for Patel. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2024 The play, which is written by Peter Morgan, creator of the Netflix series, The Crown, is set in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, and follows a Russian billionaire, Boris Berezovsky, trying to recruit a then-unknown Vladimir Putin to run for president. Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2024 Authorities discovered the family frozen to death just 30 feet from the U.S.-Canada border in January 2022 Two years after a family froze to death trying to enter the United States from Canada, the man who allegedly recruited their smuggler has been arrested and charged in their deaths. Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024
Noun
The recruits spread out methodically, moving in and apprehending the assailants without a shot being fired. Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 His stats and accolades he’s accumulated certainly back up that statement, and the production has boosted him to become Perfect Games’ No. 9 Class of 2026 recruit in the national rankings. Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 So rap lyrics that appear to boast about a crime, recruit members or threaten potential witnesses might be admitted in the YSL trial. Bill Hochberg, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 New recruits represented 88% of the Phoenix Police Department's new hires in 2023. Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024 The Russian army has attracted thousands of recruits by offering high salaries, and generous benefits to the families of those who are killed and wounded. Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2024 The recruits, some of whom are young women, are also going to be charged, Bonta said. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 17 Feb. 2024 The conservancy also coordinates, recruits and trains volunteers for the aquarium, the Whitcomb Conservatory and other facilities throughout the island, and has raised money for capital improvements to other island infrastructure, including a new roof on the island's stable buildings. Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press, 17 Feb. 2024 Lame will play a food delivery driver turned CIA recruit who is up against a group of arms dealers in Europe. Adam Wescott, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'recruit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French recrute, recrue fresh growth, new levy of soldiers, from Middle French, from recroistre to grow up again, from Latin recrescere, from re- + crescere to grow — more at crescent

First Known Use

Verb

1642, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Noun

1645, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of recruit was in 1642

Dictionary Entries Near recruit

Cite this Entry

“Recruit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recruit. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

recruit

1 of 2 verb
re·​cruit ri-ˈkrüt How to pronounce recruit (audio)
1
a
: to increase the number of by enlisting new members
b
: to get the services of : engage
recruited new teachers
2
: replenish
recruited their finances
3
: to return or increase the health, energy, or strength of
recruiter noun
recruitment
-ˈkrüt-mənt
noun

recruit

2 of 2 noun
: a newcomer to a field or activity
especially : a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces
Etymology

Noun

from French recrute, recrue (noun) "new growth, a batch of new soldiers," derived from early French recroistre "to grow up again," from Latin recrescere (same meaning), from re- "again" and crescere "to grow"

Word Origin
The French formed the noun recrute, meaning "fresh growth," from their verb recroistre "to grow up again." This verb was taken from the Latin verb recrescere, which had the same meaning. Later, someone saw a likeness between "a fresh growth of plants" and "a fresh supply of soldiers." Thus they began using the word recrute for the new soldiers. In the 17th century this sense of recrute came to the attention of the English. They borrowed the word as recruit and began using it as a verb and noun. In time it acquired broader senses not related to the military.

Medical Definition

recruit

transitive verb
re·​cruit ri-ˈkrüt How to pronounce recruit (audio)
: to restore or increase the health, vigor, or intensity of

More from Merriam-Webster on recruit

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