hire
- 01 A2 Elementary
v.to give someone a job and pay them for their work.
v.to employ a person for wages or a salary. Transitive; requires a direct object representing the person or entity.
Simple“The company plans to hire ten new engineers by the end of the year.”
In context“After a rigorous three-stage interview process, the board decided to hire a candidate with extensive experience in international logistics.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
v.to pay to use something for a short time, like a car or a suit.
v.to obtain the temporary use of something in exchange for payment. Common in British English where American English often prefers 'rent'.
Simple“We decided to hire a car for our holiday so we could visit the mountains.”
In context“The wedding party arranged to hire formal morning suits from a specialist tailor in the city centre.”
UsageIn British English, 'hire' is used for portable items like cars or tools, while 'rent' is often used for long-term housing.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person who has just started a new job at a company.
n.a person who has recently been recruited or employed. Often used in the phrase 'new hire'.
Simple“The manager introduced the new hire to the rest of the team during lunch.”
In context“The human resources department is responsible for ensuring that every new hire completes the mandatory safety training before starting their role.”
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.the act of paying to use something for a short time.
n.the act of hiring or the state of being hired for temporary use. Often used in commercial contexts like 'car hire'.
Simple“The price of the bicycle hire includes a helmet and a lock.”
In context“The contract clearly states that the cost of equipment hire must be paid in full before the items are removed from the premises.”
hire vs borrow vs rent — Borrow is taking for free; rent is paying for long-term use; hire is paying for short-term use or labor.
“Curtis’s move to hire Peters comes in the final months of his time in office.”
“On average, nearly 19,500 e-scooters were available to hire every day.”
From Middle English hire, hyre, here, hure, from Old English hȳr (“employment for wages; pay for service; interest on money lent”), from Proto-West Germanic hūʀiju (“payment”), from the verb hūʀijan, from Proto-Germanic hūzijaną, from Proto-Indo-European kewHs- or *kweHs-. Compare Hittite 𒆪𒊭𒀭 (kuššan-, “fee, pay, wages, price”). Cognate with West Frisian hier (“hire”), Dutch huur (“lease, rental”), German Low German Hüür (“lease, rental”).
From Middle English hiren, hyren, from Old English hȳrian (“to hire”), from the noun (see above). Compare West Frisian hiere (“to rent, lease”), Dutch huren (“to rent, lease”), Low German hüren (“to rent”), Danish hyre (“to hire”), Swedish hyra (“to hire”). Eclipsed Middle English souden (“to hire, employ, enlist”), borrowed from Old French souder, soudre, souldre (“to take into employ, pay”); see English sold (“salary, military pay”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.