recruit

American  

[ri-kroot] / rɪˈkrut /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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)

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noun

1. a newly joined member of a military service

2. any new member or supporter

Other Word Forms

• recruitable adjective
• recruiter noun
• recruitment noun
• unrecruitable adjective
• unrecruited adjective

Etymology

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)

Explanation

To recruit means to get someone to join something. You might recruit people for the navy or you might recruit members for your quilting group. The verb recruit often refers to formally joining an organization or a group, such as the military or a corporation. It can also be used more broadly to refer to getting someone to participate in a cause, formal or otherwise, like when you recruit your friend to help paint your room. As a noun, recruit means "a person who has been recruited." If you just joined the Army, you're a new recruit.

Example Sentences

Also driving the demand: Their status as heavyweights helps recruit top law-school graduates and highly coveted Supreme Court law clerks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

The son of a football coach and a five-star recruit, Simpson took Alabama to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals before they were destroyed by Mendoza and the Hoosiers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Offensive assistant Frank Cignetti Jr. is the younger brother of Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, and new receiver coach Adam Henry was the co-offensive coordinator at Indiana in 2022 and helped recruit Cooper.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

However, there are signs they are willing to listen to some of the criticism, including calls to recruit more experienced players.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

From Jamison’s side of the conversation, Cora gathered that the recruit had been making the rounds of the county, learning the protocols of his squad.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

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