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

Other Word Forms

• recruitable adjective
• recruiter noun
• unrecruitable adjective
• unrecruited adjective
• recruitment noun

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

David Ellison recruited Weiss, who has been public about her support for Israel, for the prominent role.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He also promised to recruit an extra 10,000 police officers if the Tories win the next general election.

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In recent years, South East Asian countries have launched recruitment drives for naturalised players, hoping to emulate Indonesia's strategy of recruiting Dutch-born footballers from the Indonesian diaspora.

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The redeployed work coaches are not new recruits, but ministers hope they will help with the government's ambition to achieve an 80% overall employment rate and cut the rising cost of health and disability benefits.

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Since then, travel agencies and brokers have drawn people from all over the world to join what they call Russia’s “elite international battalion,” dangling a raft of benefits to attract would-be recruits.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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