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
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
Melanie Hicken, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
After tragically losing the band's longtime drummer, Taylor Hawkins, in 2022, the Foo Fighters recruited drummer Josh Freese who played with the group until 2025 when he was replaced with Ilan Rubin, who has played with Nine Inch Nails and Paramore, among others.
—Melonee Hurt, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
Arkansas Online, 25 Oct. 2025
The governor will meet with several prospective business recruits as well as companies already operating in Tennessee, including Quanta Manufacturing, Bridgestone, LG Chem and SK ON.
—Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recruit
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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
Trump has been recruiting donors for the construction project for months, showing off renderings and scale models to Oval Office visitors.
—Melanie Hicken, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
After tragically losing the band's longtime drummer, Taylor Hawkins, in 2022, the Foo Fighters recruited drummer Josh Freese who played with the group until 2025 when he was replaced with Ilan Rubin, who has played with Nine Inch Nails and Paramore, among others.
—Melonee Hurt, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
With an annual salary of $67,675, new Arkansas State Police recruits earn more than police recruits in Fayetteville, Little Rock and Rogers.
—Arkansas Online, 25 Oct. 2025
The governor will meet with several prospective business recruits as well as companies already operating in Tennessee, including Quanta Manufacturing, Bridgestone, LG Chem and SK ON.
—Vivian Jones, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recruit
Cite this Entry
“Recruit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recruit. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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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