recruited; recruiting; recruits
1
a(1)
: to fill up the number of with new members : reinforce
recruit an army
(2)
: to enlist as a member of an armed service
b
: to increase or maintain the number of
America recruited her population from Europe
d
: to seek to enroll
recruit prospective students
2
3
: to restore or increase the health, vigor, or intensity of
: to enlist new members
recruiter
noun
1
: a fresh or additional supply
2
: a newcomer to a field or activity
specifically
: a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces
3
: a former enlisted man of the lowest rank in the army
Synonyms
Examples of recruit in a Sentence
Verb
He was recruited by the army after high school.
Public schools are recruiting new teachers.
College football coaches spend a lot of time recruiting high school athletes.
College football coaches spend a lot of time recruiting.
Some parents don't think the military should be recruiting from high schools.
We recruited a crew of volunteers to help us.
I recruited my brother to drive us to the concert.
She recruited four friends to distribute food to the homeless with her.
Noun
the newest recruit on the team
She's one of the department's new recruits.
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
Over the past year, these criminal groups allegedly smuggled a tonne of gold while recruiting couriers on commercial flights.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
The unheralded, no-star recruit was exactly what Miskdeen wanted for his Kent State team at the time.
—Anthony Kristensen, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for recruit 
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show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Later, he was recruited by Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, taking the role of chef de cuisine for one of their fast-casual restaurant concepts.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
Over the past year, these criminal groups allegedly smuggled a tonne of gold while recruiting couriers on commercial flights.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
In the British West Indies, officials decided that Black recruits were the only viable solution to defend the colonies against the French, who occupied numerous neighboring territories in the Caribbean.
—Kinsey Gidick, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
The unheralded, no-star recruit was exactly what Miskdeen wanted for his Kent State team at the time.
—Anthony Kristensen, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for recruit
Dictionary Entries Near recruit
Cite this Entry
“Recruit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recruit. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
recruit
2 of 2 noun
: a newcomer to a field or activity
especially
: a newly enlisted or drafted member of the armed forces
Etymology
Noun
from French recrute, recrue (noun) "new growth, a batch of new soldiers," derived from early French recroistre "to grow up again," from Latin recrescere (same meaning), from re- "again" and crescere "to grow"
Word Origin
The French formed the noun recrute, meaning "fresh growth," from their verb recroistre "to grow up again." This verb was taken from the Latin verb recrescere, which had the same meaning. Later, someone saw a likeness between "a fresh growth of plants" and "a fresh supply of soldiers." Thus they began using the word recrute for the new soldiers. In the 17th century this sense of recrute came to the attention of the English. They borrowed the word as recruit and began using it as a verb and noun. In time it acquired broader senses not related to the military.
Medical Definition
recruit
transitive verb
re·cruit
ri-ˈkrüt 
: to restore or increase the health, vigor, or intensity of
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