recruit

recruit — verb

1. to actively search for people and persuade them to become part of a business, or

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to actively search for people and persuade them to become part of a business, organization, or military force — for example, a firm looking for skilled workers, a sports team hunting for new players, or an army seeking fresh soldiers.

Example

The hospital is trying to recruit more nurses from rural areas.

recruit + from + [location]

Takeshi was recruited by a tech startup right after he finished his degree.

passive: be recruited by [organization]

Common collocations
  • recruit staff
  • recruit volunteers
  • recruit members
  • recruit soldiers
  • recruit someone from somewhere
  • actively recruit
  • successfully recruit
Synonyms
  • hire

    More specific to paid employment; 'hire' focuses on giving someone a job, while 'recruit' emphasises the active search process.

  • enlist

    Almost exclusively used for military service; implies joining voluntarily.

  • sign up

    More informal; can refer to both the recruiter's action and the person's decision to join.

Antonyms
  • fire

    Opposite action in employment — removing someone instead of bringing them in.

  • dismiss

    Formal opposite; to send someone away from a position.

Grammar Patterns

recruit + object

recruit + from + place/source

be recruited + by + organization

Usage Note

Can be used transitively (The company recruited five engineers) or intransitively (The company is recruiting). In corporate contexts, 'recruit' often implies active searching and headhunting rather than just posting a job opening.

recruit — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Recruit', 'hire', 'enlist', and 'sign up' all refer to bringing someone into a group or position, but they differ in scope and register. 'Recruit' emphasises actively seeking people out — it's the broadest term, used for jobs, military service, sports teams, and volunteer roles. 'Hire' is narrower, applying only to paid employment with a specific focus on the exchange of work for wages. 'Enlist' is almost exclusively military, carrying a sense of voluntary commitment to service. 'Sign up' is informal and can describe either the recruiter's action (The coach signed up three players) or the individual's decision (I signed up for a class). For example: a company recruits engineers through headhunters, then hires the ones who accept the offer; a citizen enlists in the navy; a friend signs up for a weekend charity run.

recruit ↗hire ↗enlist ↗sign up

Common collocations

Nouns

  • staff
  • volunteers
  • members
  • soldiers
  • players
  • students
  • participants

Adverbs

Phrases

  • recruit new talent
  • recruit on campus
  • recruit from within
  • try to recruit

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'recruit' entered English in the mid-1600s from French 'recruter', meaning 'to levy or raise new troops'. The French verb came from 'recrue' (new growth, fresh troops), which in turn comes from Latin 'recrescere' — 're-' (again) + 'crescere' (to grow). So at its root, a recruit is literally 'new growth', like a plant putting out fresh shoots — a fitting image for someone new joining and strengthening an organization.