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Synonyms

hire

American  
[hahyuhr] / haɪər /

verb (used with object)

hired, hiring
  1. to engage the services of (someone) for wages or other payment.

    The company hired three new engineers in the last quarter.

    Synonyms:
    employ
  2. to engage the temporary use of at a set price; rent.

    We hired a limousine to get us to the wedding in style.

    Synonyms:
    lease

noun

  1. the act of hiring.

  2. the state or condition of being hired.

  3. the price or compensation paid or contracted to be paid for the temporary use of something or for personal services or labor; pay.

    The laborer is worthy of his hire.

    Synonyms:
    remuneration , salary , wages , stipend , rental
  4. Informal.  a person hired or to be hired.

    Most of our new hires are college-educated.

adjective

  1. British.  available for hire; rental.

    a hire car.

verb phrase

  1. hire out  to offer or exchange one's services for payment.

    He hired himself out as a handyman.

  2. hire on  to obtain employment; take a job.

    They hired on as wranglers with the rodeo.

idioms

  1. for hire,  available for use or service in exchange for payment. Also on hire.

hire British  
/ ˈhaɪə /

verb

  1. to acquire the temporary use of (a thing) or the services of (a person) in exchange for payment

  2. to employ (a person) for wages

  3. (often foll by out) to provide (something) or the services of (oneself or others) for an agreed payment, usually for an agreed period

  4. to pay independent contractors for (work to be done)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    1. the act of hiring or the state of being hired

    2. ( as modifier )

      a hire car

    1. the price paid or payable for a person's services or the temporary use of something

    2. ( as modifier )

      the hire charge

  1. available for service or temporary use in exchange for payment

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

Hire, charter, rent refer to paying money for the use of something. Hire is a general word, most commonly applied to paying money for labor or services, but is also used in reference to paying for the temporary use of automobiles (usually with a chauffeur), halls, etc.; in New England, it is used in speaking of borrowing money on which interest is to be paid (to distinguish from borrowing from a friend, who would not accept any interest): to hire a gardener, a delivery truck, a hall for a convention. Charter formerly meant to pay for the use of a vessel, but is now applied with increasing frequency to leasing any conveyance for the use of a group: to charter a boat, a bus, a plane. Rent is used in the latter sense, also, but is usually applied to paying a set sum once or at regular intervals for the use of a dwelling, room, personal effects, an automobile (which one drives oneself ), etc.: to rent a business building.

Other Word Forms

  • hirable adjective
  • hiree noun
  • hirer noun
  • outhire verb (used with object)
  • prehiring adjective
  • rehire verb
  • unhired adjective

Etymology

Origin of hire

First recorded before 1000; (verb) Middle English hiren, Old English hȳrian (cognate with Dutch huren, Low German hüren, Old Frisian hēra ); (noun) Middle English; Old English hȳr; cognate with Dutch huur, Low German hüre (whence Dutch hyre, Swedish hyra, German Heuer ), Frisian hēre

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Many companies have held back on hiring as they try to manage higher input costs and weakening orders.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the rest of 2023, they “lived like monks,” resisting outside hires and focused maniacally on building a user-friendly tool.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some two-thirds of companies said ”managing head counts is still the norm at their companies, as opposed to hiring.”

From MarketWatch

Just a couple of years ago, countries such as Mali and the Central African Republic were hiring mercenaries from the Kremlin-aligned Wagner Group to protect their leaders and fight their enemies.

From The Wall Street Journal

So he hired this helper to do household chores, cooking and for companionship part time.

From MarketWatch