recruit
Americannoun
-
recruits
plural
-
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)
-
recruits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recruited,
past participle, past
-
recruiting
present participle
-
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)
-
recruits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recruited,
past participle, past
-
recruiting
present participle
-
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.
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
recruitsimple
-
recruitssimple
-
have recruitedperfect
-
has recruitedperfect
-
am recruitingprogressive
-
are recruitingprogressive
-
is recruitingprogressive
-
have been recruitingperfect progressive
-
has been recruitingperfect progressive
Past
-
recruitedsimple
-
had recruitedperfect
-
was recruitingprogressive
-
were recruitingprogressive
-
had been recruitingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing recruit
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When the body detects an infection or injury, it sends out alarm signals that recruit immune cells and other cells to eliminate the threat and begin repairing damaged tissue.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
The Ivy League continues to recruit players from Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Now, hiring is much weaker than average and there is less pressure to recruit - giving employees less leverage to demand higher pay.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Last week, he confirmed a report that Boring told investors they would need to help recruit employees or assist with business development in order to participate in the funding round.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
Jack shows me how to zoom in and out before we recruit a couple of customers to join him and Alexa.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
Once she goes to prison, Holmes’ controlling partner Billy Evans takes center stage, along with the real star of the film, a celebrated actress that Fielder recruits to help him in his inquiry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Robyn again writes for Slate about how this case stems from yet another presidential executive order, which was promptly challenged by a group of transgender service members and prospective recruits.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
President Donald Trump on Friday announced the creation of a "Space Academy" to train future civilian and military recruits for an arena where the United States faces rivalry with China.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Billy Marchant, a managing partner at William Vaughn Talent Advisory, which recruits for finance and accounting positions, says he recently selected all of his candidates within just 48 hours for a job in the Midwest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Fortunately for Harvey, a new employer in Washington was looking for recruits.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
The coordinating agent then recruited poisoned agents for experiments that would terminate their runs, authorizing each with the words, “yes if you accept permadeath.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Running away from oncoming rushers, Guess threw the ball back against his body — something most coaches advise against — and found heavily recruited senior wideout Gavin Honore at the one-yard line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
For the study, Varady recruited adults with Type 1 diabetes who were also classified as obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's body mass index.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Both Moscow and Kyiv have recruited thousands of foreign nationals into their armies since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine four-and-a-half years ago.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Woodall had recruited three of South Africa’s strongest climbers to form the nucleus of his team: Andy de Klerk, Andy Hackland, and Edmund February.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
The trial is expected to start recruiting patients later this year, according to a GSK spokesperson.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Emmy Awards telecasts have a long history of recruiting primetime TV stars to emcee, too – usually sitcom headliners.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
The firm is actively recruiting lateral partner groups and would be open to any options for growth, but isn’t in active discussions for a merger, people familiar with the matter say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
At 5 feet 10, Mosley didn’t have the size that most scouts would equate with a prototypical receiver prospect, which, Palmer says, is part of why Mosley didn’t get his just due from recruiting services.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
For the Federalist leaders in New England were interested in recruiting Burr as part of a larger scheme that aimed at nothing less than the dismemberment of the American republic.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
