HIRE Synonyms: 108 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'hire' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of hire are charter , lease , let , and rent . While all these words mean "to engage or grant for use at a price," hire and let , strictly speaking, are complementary terms, hire implying the act of engaging or taking for use and let the granting of use. // we hired a car for the summer // decided to let the cottage to a young couple

Q: In what contexts can 'charter' take the place of 'hire'?

The synonyms charter and hire are sometimes interchangeable, but charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use. // charter a bus to go to the game

Q: When can 'lease' be used instead of 'hire'?

The words lease and hire can be used in similar contexts, but lease strictly implies a letting under the terms of a contract but is often applied to hiring on a lease. // the diplomat leased an apartment for a year

Q: When is it sensible to use 'rent' instead of 'hire'?

Although the words rent and hire have much in common, rent stresses the payment of money for the full use of property and may imply either hiring or letting. // instead of buying a house, they decided to rent // will not rent to families with children

hire 1 of 2

verb

Definition of hire next

as in to rent

to take or get the temporary use of (something) for a set sum the Youngs hired a limousine for their daughter's wedding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in to employ

to provide with a paying job the farm hires teenagers to pick blueberries in the summer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

hire

2 of 2

noun

ˈhī(-ə)r

as in employ

the state of being provided with a paying job he spent most of his career in the hire of high-paying defense contractors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in salary

the money paid regularly to a person for labor or services used to mow lawns for hire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word hire different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of hire are charter, lease, let, and rent. While all these words mean "to engage or grant for use at a price," hire and let, strictly speaking, are complementary terms, hire implying the act of engaging or taking for use and let the granting of use.

we hired a car for the summer

decided to let the cottage to a young couple

In what contexts can charter take the place of hire?

The synonyms charter and hire are sometimes interchangeable, but charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

When can lease be used instead of hire?

The words lease and hire can be used in similar contexts, but lease strictly implies a letting under the terms of a contract but is often applied to hiring on a lease.

the diplomat leased an apartment for a year

When is it sensible to use rent instead of hire?

Although the words rent and hire have much in common, rent stresses the payment of money for the full use of property and may imply either hiring or letting.

instead of buying a house, they decided to rent

will not rent to families with children

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hire

Verb

The city's financial outlook was downgraded in November after residents approved propositions that require Dallas to hire hundreds more police officers and allow people to sue city government officials who don't follow the City Charter, city ordinances or state law. —

Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025 Jones hired Kutler away from CNN in 2022, and Jones will stay at MSNBC in an advisory role until March. —

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025

Noun

With entry-level routine work supplanted by AI and new hires expected to provide higher value from day one, new graduates stand little chance of landing a good first job without prior relevant work experience. —

Ryan Craig, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025 Some of these hires fail miserably (Kenny Payne at Louisville); others are slower descents, with some just-good-enough seasons to not jump ship right away and maintain a let’s-see-where-this-goes attitude within the administration. —

Cj Moore, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for hire

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hire

Verb

When two Black students attempted to rent a Bridgeport apartment, Daley let his neighbors run them out.

— Erik Wallenberg, Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2025
The one bedroom, one bathroom home, sold a few years ago for close to $2 million and rented for $14,000 a month, Fox 11 LA reported, citing online data.

— Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 17 Jan. 2025