charter
Americannoun
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charters
plural
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a document, issued by a sovereign or state, outlining the conditions under which a corporation, colony, city, or other corporate body is organized, and defining its rights and privileges.
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(often initial capital letter) a document defining the formal organization of a corporate body; constitution.
the Charter of the United Nations.
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authorization from a central or parent organization to establish a new branch, chapter, etc.
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a grant by a sovereign power creating a corporation, as the royal charters granted to British colonies in America.
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Also called charter party. a contract by which part or all of a ship is leased for a voyage or a stated time.
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a tour, vacation, or trip by charter arrangement.
The travel agency is offering charters to Europe and the Caribbean.
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special privilege or immunity.
verb (used with object)
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charters,
present (3rd person singular)
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chartered,
past participle, past
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chartering
present participle
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to establish by charter.
to charter a bank.
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to lease or hire for exclusive use.
The company will charter six buses for the picnic.
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to give special favor or privilege to.
adjective
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of or relating to a method of travel in which the transportation is specially leased or hired for members of a group or association.
a charter flight to Europe.
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that can be leased or hired for exclusive or private use.
a charter boat for deep-sea fishing.
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done or held in accordance with a charter.
a charter school.
noun
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a formal document from the sovereign or state incorporating a city, bank, college, etc, and specifying its purposes and rights
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(sometimes capital) a formal document granting or demanding from the sovereign power of a state certain rights or liberties
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a document issued by a society or an organization authorizing the establishment of a local branch or chapter
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a special privilege or exemption
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(often capital) the fundamental principles of an organization; constitution
the Charter of the United Nations
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the hire or lease of transportation
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the agreement or contract regulating this
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( as modifier )
a charter flight
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a law, policy, or decision containing a loophole which allows a specified group to engage more easily in an activity considered undesirable
a beggars' charter
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maritime law another word for charterparty
verb
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to lease or hire by charterparty
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to hire (a vehicle, etc)
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to grant a charter of incorporation or liberties to (a group or person)
Usage
What does charter mean? A charter is a document that defines the exact structure, rights, and organization of a state, colony, corporation, or similar, as in The American colonies were governed by charters authorized by the king of England. A charter is also authorization from a central organization for a sub-organization, like a chapter or branch. To charter means to establish a sub-organization, like a branch or colony, as in The company just chartered its fourth branch this year. A charter can also describe a trip or method of transportation that is organized and established by a corporation or group. Related to this, to charter means to rent or lease for exclusive use, such as for a trip, as in The school chartered buses to take the soccer team to away games. Example: The Charter of the United Nations established the basis for what the organization is today.
Synonym Usage
See hire.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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charteragenoun
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charterernoun
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subcharternoun
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recharterverb (used with object)
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charterableadjective
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charterlessadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chartersimple
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charterssimple
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have charteredperfect
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has charteredperfect
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am charteringprogressive
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are charteringprogressive
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is charteringprogressive
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have been charteringperfect progressive
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has been charteringperfect progressive
Past
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charteredsimple
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had charteredperfect
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was charteringprogressive
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were charteringprogressive
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had been charteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of charter
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English chartre from Old French from Latin chartul(a) “little paper,” equivalent to chart(a) ( see charta) + -ula -ule
Explanation
What do rock gods do when they travel? They charter their own plane, of course. Charter means you rent or lease a particular service or object. Anyone can charter something, though lesser mortals tend to limit themselves to buses. Charter comes from the Latin charta, meaning "paper, card or map." As a noun, charter refers to a written document outlining — or mapping — the rights and obligations of a company or organization, or even, in older days, a town or entire colony. New York City was given a charter, for example, by the British monarch in the 17th century, guaranteeing it certain rights in exchange for goods and services. Today corporations still have charters governing their behavior.
Vocabulary lists containing charter
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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.
See Examples For:
Lighthouse Island is protected by the bird observatory and can only be accessed on an approved charter boat.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The average annual rate to charter a large car carrier reached $70,000 a day in June, up from $42,500 at the end of last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
A proposed change to the city’s charter would give the City Council greater authority over the LAPD.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Private and charter schools are on the up in both academics and athletics, leaving places like Dorsey — that dominated for so long — behind.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
That same year, Clover lost its town charter.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Still, Mr. Dais says he knows students who tried Success Academy and left, and he opposes lifting the state’s cap on the number of charters, even as he acknowledges their agility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Don’t forget that charters are public schools, open to everyone, with students accepted by lottery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The businesses tied to outdoor leisure that are expected to benefit include golf courses, outdoor entertainment venues and providers of fishing charters.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
The district defends its approach in evaluating charters as consistent and fair and based on rules set out by the state and district policy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
“There’s two village charters within walking distance—I checked the directory on the Net—and the Central Academy is just a short drive.”
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
Upon final approval, World Liberty Trust will operate as a federally chartered national trust bank.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Coast Guard investigators are also determining whether the boat was illegally chartered.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Several buses have been chartered to transport elderly people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
“It might be setting aside a defined percentage of the portfolio, typically 5% to 10%, for individual stock picks that clients can self-manage,” said Peter Hughes, a New York City-based chartered financial analyst.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Other chartered trains were coming from Kentucky, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
The other big winners are shipowners, who are chartering out their vessels at high rates as fewer ships are available globally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Vessels still are likely to encounter “port congestion,” as well as chartering and scheduling disruptions, said Sean Pribyl, a maritime attorney at Holland & Knight.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
The coalition he belongs to is chartering buses to bring protesters from across California for Monday's game and is hoping to have "40- to 50,000 people" around the stadium, he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
The team has to coordinate between two airline partners, chartering a Boeing 757 from Delta and a Boeing 737-800 from United, to handle travel parties of sometimes more than 100 in all.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025
They would not listen to him, and were deaf to his plea that it would necessitate chartering a private ship if he were really to take ill the things they were preparing for him.
From Paddy-The-Next-Best-Thing by Gertrude Page
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
