charter 1 of 2

charter

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noun

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of charter are hire, lease, let, and rent. While all these words mean "to engage or grant for use at a price," charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.

charter a bus to go to the game

How do hire and let relate to one another, in the sense of charter?

Both 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 lease take the place of charter?

While in some cases nearly identical to charter, 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 would rent be a good substitute for charter?

The words rent and charter are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

Example 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 charter
Verb
The rural boundary charter amendment won 73% of the ballots cast in November. Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 July 2025 The third bill placed an amendment on the ballot to codify the Office of Inspector General ordinances into the county’s charter. Charles E. Sydnor, Baltimore Sun, 30 July 2025
Noun
Private flights had been chartered to take Anton Stach from his Hoffenheim base to his family home, and then to Paderborn, the most convenient airport for accessing the club’s training camp. Beren Cross, New York Times, 28 July 2025 Following a four-day investigation by Dutch authorities, Royal Caribbean chartered its own boat for an additional search but also came up empty, per the Associated Press. Jessica Sager, People.com, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for charter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charter
Verb
  • Instead, rent a bike or golf cart and embrace the 25-mile-per-hour island-wide speed limit.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2025
  • One of Perrin’s neighbors even rented them her house just a few doors down.
    Jordan Greene, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In Afghanistan, Peace Day ceasefires enabled millions of children to receive life-saving vaccinations.
    Jeremy Gilley, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Aug. 2025
  • In return for a launch, SpaceX has asked other companies with telecom satellites, such as OneWeb and Kepler Communications, to share spectrum rights to enable Starlink to expand into new markets.
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The latest multilateral environmental treaty being negotiated by the United Nations has just encountered a major setback in negotiations.
    Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Protestors gather outside the Palais des Nations in Geneva, during talks for a global plastics treaty.
    Joseph Winters, Wired News, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The school could reapply for the grant, but a new grant would not cover any items the school already purchased for the upcoming 2025-26 year.
    Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 9 Aug. 2025
  • Every nonprofit knows the pain of spending weeks on a major grant application only to walk away empty-handed.
    Scott Brighton, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But then Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell hired Flores in 2023.
    Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
  • The company hired Ballard, and Carnival’s chairman, Micky Arison, secured the highest-possible-level meeting: with the national-security adviser, John Bolton; the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo; and Trump.
    Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • No new information was shared, and comments were disabled, preventing anyone from asking questions, according to two CDC sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the meeting.
    Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Nonetheless, Trump is authorized to deploy the National Guard and assume emergency control over the MPD under home rule, the form of limited self-governance that Congress granted D.C. under the Home Rule Act in 1973.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 12 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • In Indiana, four county jails, including Marion County, have contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service to house ICE detainees.
    Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 9 Aug. 2025
  • In Henry’s opinion, the contract should state that the Grants own the land and would collect the rent.
    Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • This category was evaluated based on a company's patent activity, its impact and its research and design investment.
    Katherine Fung, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Under the previous presidential administration, federal agencies identified potential uses for AI such as processing patent applications, detecting tax fraud, reviewing grant submissions and copy-editing press releases.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Charter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charter. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

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