recruit

[ ri-kroot ]

noun

1. a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces.
2. a new member of a group, organization, or the like.
3. a fresh supply of something.

verb (used with object)

1. to enlist (a person) for service in one of the armed forces.
2. to raise (a force) by enlistment.
3. to strengthen or supply (an armed force) with new members.
4. to furnish or replenish with a fresh supply; renew.
5. to renew or restore (the health, strength, etc.).
6. to attempt to acquire the services of (a person) for an employer:

   She recruits executives for all the top companies.

7. to attempt to enroll or enlist (a member, affiliate, student, or the like):

   a campaign to recruit new club members.

8. to seek to enroll (an athlete) at a school or college, often with an offer of an athletic scholarship.

verb (used without object)

1. to enlist persons for service in one of the armed forces.
2. to engage in finding and attracting employees, new members, students, athletes, etc.
3. to recover health, strength, etc.
4. to gain new supplies of anything lost or wasted.

recruit

/ rɪˈkruːt /

verb

1. 1. to enlist (men) for military service
   2. to raise or strengthen (an army, navy, etc) by enlistment
2. tr to enrol or obtain (members, support, etc)
3. to furnish or be furnished with a fresh supply; renew
4. archaic.
   to recover (health, strength, spirits, etc)

noun

1. a newly joined member of a military service
2. any new member or supporter

Derived Forms

• reˈcruitable, adjective
• reˈcruiter, noun
• reˈcruitment, noun

Other Words From

• re·cruit·a·ble adjective
• re·cruit·er noun
• un·re·cruit·a·ble adjective
• un·re·cruit·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of recruit¹

First recorded in 1635–45; from French, stem of recruter, derivative of recrue “new growth,” noun use of feminine past participle of recroître ( re- re- + croître, from Latin crēscere “to grow”; crescent )

Word History and Origins

Origin of recruit¹

C17: from French recrute literally: new growth, from recroître to grow again, from Latin recrēscere from re- + crēscere to grow

Example Sentences

The recruits wore shoes with the sharp kirigami spikes attached and walked on ice.

From Science News For Students

Each recruit collected some of their feces before the study began.

From Science News For Students

By the end of the study, the recruits had more SCFA-producing microbes than at the start.

From Science News For Students

During the workout weeks, the recruits did not change what they ate — except for three days before each poop collection.

From Science News For Students

Then they track how, on average, the health of the recruits have changed over time.

From Science News For Students

He also was working to recruit Castro as a driver for a drug load.

From The Daily Beast

Ramos was 38—nearly two decades older than the average recruit.

From The Daily Beast

The company declined to comment on their efforts to recruit more women, but the current drivers say they are working hard at it.

From The Daily Beast

But then something funny happened: The GOP actually began to recruit black and Hispanic candidates.

From The Daily Beast

She is accused of using her celebrity to recruit socially disadvantaged minors with the potential to become professional models.

From The Daily Beast

Two years later this promising recruit, having fallen foul of the military authorities, had to leave the service under a cloud.

From Project Gutenberg

A serjeant enlisted a recruit, who on inspection turned out to be a woman.

From Project Gutenberg

Pernambuco had during the half century which had elapsed since the expulsion of the Dutch had time to recruit.

From Project Gutenberg

Young warriors returning home to recruit their health, or to die.

From Project Gutenberg

Before the next Sunday, Mrs Wood had taken her daughter to her distant home, to recruit in that quiet place.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• call up
• draft
• engage
• enlist
• enroll
• improve
• mobilize
• raise
• round up
• select