recruit

[ ri-kroot ]

/ rɪˈkrut /

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See synonyms for: recruit / recruited / recruiting 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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of recruit

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

Words nearby recruit

rec room, recross, recrudesce, recrudescence, recrudescent, recruit, recruiter, recruitment, recrystallize, Rec. Sec., rect-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use recruit in a sentence

The recruits wore shoes with the sharp kirigami spikes attached and walked on ice.
Shape-shifting cuts give shoes a better grip|Carolyn Wilke|July 14, 2020|Science News For Students
Each recruit collected some of their feces before the study began.
Our gut microbes love a good workout|Silke Schmidt|May 21, 2020|Science News For Students
By the end of the study, the recruits had more SCFA-producing microbes than at the start.
Our gut microbes love a good workout|Silke Schmidt|May 21, 2020|Science News For Students
During the workout weeks, the recruits did not change what they ate — except for three days before each poop collection.
Our gut microbes love a good workout|Silke Schmidt|May 21, 2020|Science News For Students

Then they track how, on average, the health of the recruits have changed over time.
Decades-long project is linking our health to the environment|Lindsey Konkel|March 12, 2020|Science News For Students
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
Ramos was 38—nearly two decades older than the average recruit.
In The Shadow of Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 26, 2014|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
But then something funny happened: The GOP actually began to recruit black and Hispanic candidates.
The Republican Rainbow Coalition Is Real|Tim Mak|November 18, 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
Two years later this promising recruit, having fallen foul of the military authorities, had to leave the service under a cloud.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
A serjeant enlisted a recruit, who on inspection turned out to be a woman.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Pernambuco had during the half century which had elapsed since the expulsion of the Dutch had time to recruit.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
Young warriors returning home to recruit their health, or to die.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
Before the next Sunday, Mrs Wood had taken her daughter to her distant home, to recruit in that quiet place.
Ruth|Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

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 of recruit

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

recruit

Origin of recruit

OTHER WORDS FROM recruit

Words nearby recruit

Words related to recruit

How to use recruit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for recruit

Derived forms of recruit

Word Origin for recruit