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

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

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 hire

Verb

But very quickly Roseanne realized how good Norm was and hired him to write for her TV show. — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 The Cowboys ranked second-to-last in scoring defense in 2024, and dead last last season before hiring Christian Parker, a first-time coordinator at any level, to design a turnaround this fall. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026

Noun

This is about moving beyond the performative town hall exercise to sitting down with our new hires, our younger team members, and understanding what’s on their minds. — Kate Barton, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026 Gross, along with former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, was a major Zuckerberg hire last year as the Facebook founder was overhauling his company's AI strategy. — Kif Leswing,jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hire

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hire

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

Definition of rent

Verb

The beats create ample negative space for Holden to employ riskier flows, often deploying a double-time pace to burn through technically dense passages.

— Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
Plus, data centers aren’t acting with haste or employing new innovations.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of employ

Noun

After all, a few additional years of employment can translate to more savings, fewer years of withdrawals and a bigger Social Security benefit.

— John Csiszar, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026
Emerge continues to provide employment support for 12 months after placement.

— Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of employment

Noun

Cap concerns Shaikin wrote about a lockout expected this winter as Major League Baseball owners attempt to implement a salary cap, which limits the amount of money a team can spend on player salaries.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
If Richards is still on the Heat’s roster on Wednesday, his full salary for the season will be guaranteed.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of salary

Verb

Even recruiting sites have a broad range, from around $50,000 to above $200,000.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Stark was under a producing deal with Universal Television in 2011 when he was recruited by Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum and Roma Khanna to relaunch MGM Television following the studio’s 2010 bankruptcy.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of recruit

Noun

The city cannot regulate wages or benefits under state law, according to city staff.

— Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2026
Ethos will use a financing and production model that Bentley and Kwedar used on their films Jockey and the Oscar nominated Sing Sing, where above and below-the-line talent are paid the same wage and shares in equity in the film.

— Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of wage

Verb

What began as a few purists chasing a vibe became an ingredient an entire industry pays extra for.

— Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
The data showed that principals often earn from $158,000 to $186,000 per year, while assistant principals were generally paid $150,000 to $179,000.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of pay

Noun

Upgrading to the Thrust Variant requires a $245,000 follow-up payment and adds SpaceX cold-gas rear thrusters alongside an active multi-mode fan system for downforce, cutting acceleration down to under a second.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
The language suggests the deal involves obligations that have yet to be fulfilled, potentially including a financial payment.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of payment

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hipsters

hire

hired

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Style

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

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noun

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