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

With the coordination of several European countries, investigators uncovered a network "led by the Iraqi-Kurdish community" based in Germany, which handled logistics, while an "Afghan branch" was responsible for recruiting migrants.

Read more on Barron's

Boosters think glory is just a smart hire and a few older, experienced recruits away.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The show follows a shy new transfer student at a corporate military school where recruits train and settle disputes in giant mech suit combat.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Homeland Security agent reportedly tried to recruit Maduro’s chief pilot to fly the president into U.S. custody, a plot that fizzled but hints at the psychological ops now in play.

Read more on Salon

"Traditionally we have tried to recruit teachers straight out of education themselves," Ms Kellaway said.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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