- hire
- [[t]haɪər[/t]]v. hired, hir•ing, n.1) to engage the services of for wages or other payment2) to engage the temporary use of at a set price; rent:to hire a limousine[/ex]3) phv hire out, to offer or exchange one's services for payment:He hired himself out as a handyman[/ex]4) the act of hiring5) the condition of being hired6) the price or compensation paid for the temporary use of something or for personal services or labor; pay7) bus inf Informal. a person hired or to be hired•Etymology: bef. 1000; (v.) ME; OE hȳrian, c. OFris hēra, MD, MLG hūren; (n.) ME; OE hȳr, c. OFris hēre, OS hūria hir′a•ble, hire′a•ble, adj. hir•ee′, n. hir′er, n. syn: hire, charter, rent refer to paying money for the use of something. hire is most commonly applied to paying money for a person's services, but is also used in reference to paying for the temporary use of something: to hire a gardener; to hire a convention hall. charter is applied to hiring a vehicle for the exclusive use of a group or individual: to charter a boat. rent, although used in the above senses, is most often applied to paying a set sum at regular intervals for the use of a dwelling or other property: to rent an apartment.
From formal English to slang. 2014.