charter 1 of 2

Definition of charternext

charter

2 of 2

verb

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
Noun
That debate was reignited in September 2026, when a federal judge ruled that Oklahoma could not reject a Jewish organization’s charter proposal solely based on its religious status. — Preston Green Iii, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026 Everyone duly introduced, the crew gets to work preparing for the first charter. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
The daily cost of chartering a Very Large Crude Carrier in the region rose to more than $1 million in late September according toBloomberg. — David Faris, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 Local 884, which was chartered in 1960, is exclusively devoted to on-set educators, who also serve as minors‘ welfare advocates on set. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for charter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charter
Noun
  • Nonnuclear European countries will have to agree to finance the development and procurement of new missile systems and possibly airplanes (although not nuclear warheads, which would violate their treaty commitments).
    — Ivo H. Daalder, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
  • China does not have a formal extradition treaty with the United States.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Ossoff last year also pressed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin for canceling public health and environmental grants.
    — Maydeen Merino, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Floated earlier this year, a separate bid to have political appointees—rather than independent expert panels—decide grant recipients garnered significant backlash.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Households are paying more for everything from groceries to health care to rent and mortgages.
    — Steven John, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Skip the cardboard… Really just trust me on this one and rent reusable bins from a moving company with good reviews.
    — Perri Ormont Blumberg, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That flexibility, whether enabled by SSTs or other controls, could lower costs and speed up grid connections.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Chain bookselling, which enabled the unification of the reading market, was one of the first heralds of a globalizing age.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Basis trades are an arbitrage bet in which hedge funds are positioned long in cash Treasurys while shorting their corresponding futures contracts, with the aim of profiting from the price gap.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Again, two-way contracts can be swapped out at any time, with such salaries not counting against the salary cap.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In 2011, Ternus and five other Apple engineers filed a patent application for foldable electronic devices, according to a recent Time profile.
    — MacKenzie Sigalos,Kif Leswing, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Telehealth sites hit their first jackpot in the 2010s, when Viagra and other drugs for erectile dysfunction came off patent, allowing for the sale of cheaper generics.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • And as the most recent press secretary found out, you can be fired from the position just as quickly as you were hired.
    — Chandelis Duster, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The Cowboys brought Mike Pettine out of retirement, hiring him as a senior defensive assistant to help out Christian Parker, the team’s defensive coordinator, get this group back on track.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Representatives Lori Trahan and Jay Obernolte have advanced the FRONTIER Act, which would authorize government intervention against risky models and override some state laws.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
    — HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Charter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charter. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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