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.

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“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use recruit in a sentence

Similarly, a recent NPR report covered the challenges many police departments are having recruiting officers of color.
How to Solve the Policing Crisis|Keli Goff|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The priority that the regime places on cyber warfare is made clear by its recruiting.
Inside the ‘Surprisingly Great’ North Korean Hacker Hotel|Michael Daly|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Feds are more interesting in finding out who is doing the recruiting rather than punishing those being recruited.
What the U.S. Can Learn from Europe About Dealing with Terrorists|Scott Beauchamp|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the same time, the gorier the propaganda, the better it was for ISIS recruiting.
Has ISIS Peaked as a Military Power?|Jacob Siegel|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One problem is that these firms had little if any relationship with local Iraqi hires beyond recruiting them.
Obama Went to War to Save Them, But They Can’t Get U.S. Visas|Christine van den Toorn, Sherizaan Minwalla|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some other stimulus to our Territorial recruiting than the fear of invasion will have to be invented in future.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Evidently the painter of this picture was a sentimentalist who regarded the recruiting sergeant in the worst light.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
There was a recruiting meeting going on in Trafalgar Square, the speakers standing on the monument.
The Amazing Interlude|Mary Roberts Rinehart
Here they remained, always recruiting their numbers from England, till 1861, when they returned to England.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
The tax-gatherer and recruiting officer begin to make their way into the hills.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|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 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 related to recruit

How to use recruit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for recruit

Derived forms of recruit

Word Origin for recruit