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

Researchers at the University of Leeds want to recruit up to 50 households to take part in the experiment, for three consecutive weeks throughout November.

From BBC

"We should be talking about job creation, not enforcing things that make business leaders think twice about recruiting people and about giving somebody a chance," he says.

From BBC

The Bundesliga champions had previously failed with multiple bids to sign the Germany striker before Newcastle broke the club's transfer record to recruit him last month.

From BBC

That in turn is supported by the number of businesses looking to recruit.

From BBC

He told the BBC's Politics London programme that some recruits were teenagers and that parents should monitor what their children were doing online.

From BBC

Related Words

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