recruit

[ ri-kroot ]
See synonyms for: recruitrecruitedrecruiting on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces.

  2. a new member of a group, organization, or the like.

  1. 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.

  1. to strengthen or supply (an armed force) with new members.

  2. to furnish or replenish with a fresh supply; renew.

  3. to renew or restore (the health, strength, etc.).

  4. to attempt to acquire the services of (a person) for an employer: She recruits executives for all the top companies.

  5. to attempt to enroll or enlist (a member, affiliate, student, or the like): a campaign to recruit new club members.

  6. 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.

  1. to recover health, strength, etc.

  2. to gain new supplies of anything lost or wasted.

Origin of recruit

1
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”; cf. crescent)

Other words from recruit

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

Words Nearby recruit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use recruit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for recruit

recruit

/ (rɪˈkruːt) /


verb
    • to enlist (men) for military service

    • to raise or strengthen (an army, navy, etc) by enlistment

  1. (tr) to enrol or obtain (members, support, etc)

  1. to furnish or be furnished with a fresh supply; renew

  2. archaic to recover (health, strength, spirits, etc)

noun
  1. a newly joined member of a military service

  2. any new member or supporter

Origin of recruit

1
C17: from French recrute literally: new growth, from recroître to grow again, from Latin recrēscere from re- + crēscere to grow

Derived forms of recruit

  • recruitable, adjective
  • recruiter, noun
  • recruitment, noun

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