hire
B1Neutral to formal in employment contexts; common and informal in rental contexts.
Definition
Meaning
To obtain the temporary use or service of (something) in return for payment; to employ someone for wages or a salary.
The state of being employed for wages; the act of hiring or renting; a person who is employed; a rental agreement.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Can be both transitive (hire a car) and intransitive (they hired quickly). Polysemous: primarily involves the exchange of money for temporary use of goods or services. The 'employee' sense is more prominent in British English.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
UK: Strongly used for employment (hire a new manager) and renting goods (hire a car). US: 'Hire' is almost exclusively for employment. For temporary use of goods, 'rent' or 'rental' is strongly preferred.
Connotations
UK 'hire' (goods) is neutral; US 'hire' (people) can sound slightly more formal than 'bring on board' in casual business talk, but is standard.
Frequency
Very high frequency in both varieties for employment. Much higher frequency for goods/temporary use in UK English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
SVO (hire someone/something)SVOA (hire someone as a manager)SVOO (hire her the car)SVOC (hire them to do the job)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “hire and fire”
- “on hire”
- “for hire”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Central term in HR for the process of adding new employees: 'We need to hire three developers.'
Academic
Less frequent; appears in management, economics, or legal texts discussing labor markets or contracts.
Everyday
Common for renting vehicles, tools, or party equipment (UK): 'Let's hire a van for the move.'
Technical
In law, refers to a contract for the temporary use of goods or services for payment.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- We decided to hire a marquee for the garden party.
- The company plans to hire twenty graduates this year.
American English
- We need to hire a consultant to review our process.
- They hired her straight out of university.
adverb
British English
- Boats are available hire by the hour.
American English
- Tuxedos are available for hire at the shop.
adjective
British English
- Is this ladder hire or is it yours?
- The hire cost for the equipment was reasonable.
American English
- The new hire orientation is on Monday.
- We offer hire cars at the airport.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- They want to hire a car for the weekend.
- My sister got a new job. The company hired her last week.
- It's cheaper to hire a bike than to buy one if you're just visiting.
- We're hiring two new people for the marketing team.
- The firm was criticised for its willingness to hire and fire at will.
- He was hired on a six-month contract to oversee the project.
- The agency hires out vintage film equipment to production companies.
- Her innovative hiring practices have dramatically reduced staff turnover.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'HIgh REward' – you pay a HIgh REward (money) to HIRE someone's time or something's use.
Conceptual Metaphor
PEOPLE/OBJECTS ARE RESOURCES (that can be acquired temporarily for money).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'hire' for renting an apartment/flat; use 'rent'.
- Confusing 'hire' with 'fire' due to phonetic similarity.
- Using 'hire' for a permanent purchase (e.g., to buy a car).
Common Mistakes
- *I hired a flat in London for a year. (Use 'rented')
- *We need to hire a new computer. (Use 'buy' or 'lease' for long-term business use)
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is LEAST likely to be used with 'hire' in modern American English?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, but it depends on the dialect. In British English, it's used for both people and things (cars, tools). In American English, it's almost exclusively for people; 'rent' is used for things.
In UK English, they are often interchangeable for goods, though 'hire' can imply shorter-term. In US English, 'hire' is for people, 'rent' is for property/objects. Legally, 'hire' can involve services, while 'rent' involves property.
Yes. It can mean the act of hiring ('The hire of the hall was expensive'), a person who has been hired ('She's a new hire'), or the state of being hired ('boats for hire').
It's a British English term (similar to 'installment plan' in US English) for a system where you pay for goods in installments while using them, owning them only after the final payment.
Collections
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Work and Jobs
A2 · 49 words · Jobs, professions and the world of work.