recruit

[ ri-kroot ]

/ rɪˈkrut /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recruit ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces.

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

a fresh supply of something.

verb (used with object)

to enlist (a person) for service in one of the armed forces.

to raise (a force) by enlistment.

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

to furnish or replenish with a fresh supply; renew.

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

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

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

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

verb (used without object)

to enlist persons for service in one of the armed forces.

to engage in finding and attracting employees, new members, students, athletes, etc.

to recover health, strength, etc.

to gain new supplies of anything lost or wasted.

Nearby words

recrimination, recross, recrudesce, recrudescence, recrudescent typhus, recruit, recruitment, recrystallize, rect, rect-, rect.

Origin of recruit

1635–45; < French, stem of recruter, derivative of recrue new growth, noun use of feminine past participle of recroître (re- re- + croître < Latin crēscere to grow; cf. crescent)

Related forms

re·cruit·a·ble, adjectivere·cruit·er, nounun·re·cruit·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·cruit·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recruit

He also was working to recruit Castro as a driver for a drug load.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|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.
The Moms of Monster Jam Drive Trucks, Buck Macho Culture|Eliza Krigman|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She is accused of using her celebrity to recruit socially disadvantaged minors with the potential to become professional models.
Colombian Beauty Queen Arrested for Running Child Prostitution Ring|Jason Batansky|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In April of this year, the FBI tried to recruit a member of the Guantanamo defense team as an informant.
A Navy Lawyer Cries Foul on Gitmo’s Kafkaesque Legal System|Eleanor Clift|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Tsongas and Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME) have led the charge for an all-American recruit shoe in Congress.
New Balance Lobbies Congress to Make the U.S. Military's Only Running Shoe|Tim Mak|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He wished to give time to the planters to recruit their stocks.
The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the|Thomas Clarkson
"You'll find most folks going to Rawhide, if you're looking for company," pursued Trampas, fishing for a recruit.
The Virginian|Owen Wister
In order to recruit his health, the King visited California in November, 1890.
The Hawaiian Islands|The Department of Foreign Affairs
The rest of the recruit graduates, those unqualified for advanced schooling, were divided.
Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965|Morris J. MacGregor, Jr.
After in vain trying to enlist Mr. Schreiner as a recruit, Mr. Reitz asked him to state the reason of his refusal.
South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 8 (of 8)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for recruit

recruit

/ (rɪˈkruːt) /

verb

to enlist (men) for military service
to raise or strengthen (an army, navy, etc) by enlistment

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

to furnish or be furnished with a fresh supply; renew

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

noun

a newly joined member of a military service

any new member or supporter

Derived Forms

recruitable, adjectiverecruiter, nounrecruitment, noun

Word Origin for recruit

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

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