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”).
Meanings
(countable) A person who has been hired, especially in a cohort.
We pair up each of our new hires with one of our original hires.
Employment statistics, the other key indicator of Diversity & Inclusion performance, shows that almost 30% of new Southeastern hires are women. 2024 February 21, Nick Brodrick, “Inclusion and development for all”, in RAIL, number 1003, page 62:
(uncountable) The state of being hired, or having a job; employment.
When my grandfather retired, he had over twenty mechanics in his hire.
(uncountable) Payment for the temporary use of something.
The sign offered pedalos on hire.
(obsolete, uncountable) Reward.
I vvill him reaue of armes, the victors hire, / And of that ſhield, more vvorthy of good knight; / For vvhy ſhould a dead dog be deckt in armour bright? 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
I haue ſeene a pardon giuen to a man vpon the gallovves, but vvho ſo emboldeneth himſelfe thereuypon, perhaps the rope may be his hire: it is not good to put it vpon the Pſalme of Miſerere, and the neck-verſe, for ſometime he prooues no clarke. 1619, Samuell Hieron, “The Worth of the Water of Life. Dauids Longing, and Dauids Loue. The Good Fight. [II. Tim[othy] 4. 7.]”, in The Sermons of Master Samuell Hieron, […], London: […] Iohn Beale [and John Legatt printer to the Uniuersitie of Cambridge for Thomas Man, Ioyce Macham, Cantrell Legge, and Simon Waterson], published 1620, →OCLC, pages 222–223:
I have five hundred crovvns, / The thrifty hire I ſav'd under your father […] c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii], lines 682–683:
The labourer is worthy of his hire. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 10:7:
ms upahan (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · pt emprego (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · ru наём (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · ru прока́т (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · fi palvelus (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · sv anställd (a person who has been hired) · es alquiler (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · fi työsuhde (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · gd fastachadh (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · bg наемане (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · sl najemnik (a person who has been hired) · nl werknemer (a person who has been hired) · bg наемник (a person who has been hired) · de Saisonarbeiter (a person who has been hired) · de Hilfsarbeiter (a person who has been hired) · fi työntekijä (a person who has been hired) · pt contratado (a person who has been hired) · hi नियुक्ति (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · de unter Vertrag (the state of being hired, or having a job; employment) · sl najemnica (a person who has been hired) · es empleado (a person who has been hired)
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”).
Meanings
(Australia, UK, transitive) To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment.
We hired a car for two weeks because ours had broken down.
“[…] She takes the whole thing with desperate seriousness. But the others are all easy and jovial—thinking about the good fare that is soon to be eaten, about the hired fly, about anything.” 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVI, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
(UK, transitive) To occupy premises in exchange for rent.
I do not mean to insist here on the disadvantage of hiring compared with owning, but it is evident that the savage owns his shelter because it costs so little, while the civilized man hires his commonly because he cannot afford to own it; nor can he, in the long run, any better afford to hire. 1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Economy”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC:
(transitive) To employ; to obtain the services of (a person) in exchange for remuneration; to give someone a job.
The company had problems when it tried to hire more skilled workers.
The skipper Mr. Cooke had hired at Far Harbor was a God-fearing man with a luke warm interest in his new billet and employer, and had only been prevailed upon to take charge of the yacht after the offer of an emolument equal to half a year's sea pay of an ensign in the navy. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter X, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
(transitive) To exchange the services of for remuneration.
They hired themselves out as day laborers. They hired out their basement for Inauguration week.
(UK, transitive) To accomplish by paying for services.
After waiting two years for her husband to finish the tiling, she decided to hire it done.
(intransitive) To accept employment.
They hired out as day laborers.
(transitive) (neologism) (in the Jobs-to-be-Done Theory) To buy something in order for it to perform a function, to do a job
hiree (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · hired gun (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · gun-for-hire (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · hirable (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · dehire (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · outhire (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · hired hand (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · hireless (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · prehire (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · overhire (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · unhire (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · mishire (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · rehire (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · acquihire (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · hireworthy (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · unhired (Terms derived from hire (verb)) · hirer (Terms derived from hire (verb))
ltg lūņuot (to employ) · az tutmaq (to employ) · nl aanwerven (to employ) · dsb pśistajaś (to employ) · ro angaja (to employ) · vi mướn (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · oc contractar (to employ) · sv hyra (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · fi ottaa työhön (to employ) · it assoldare (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · fi vuokrata (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · oc logar (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · gd fastaidh (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · gl alugar (to employ) · ota طوتمق (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · cs najmout (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · pt contratar (to employ) · ca contractar (to employ) · be узя́ць напрака́т (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · es contratar (to employ) · pl zaangażować (to employ) · zdj uwadjiri (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · hi नियुक्त करना (to employ) · de heuern (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · eo lui (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · fr recruter (to employ) · ca llogar (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · el προσλαμβάνω (to employ) · pl wypożyczać (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · ja 雇用する (to employ) · ru брать напрока́т (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · fi mennä töihin (to accept employment) · pt contratar (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · it ingaggiare (to employ) · sw -ajiri (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · it noleggiare (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · cmn 出租 (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · nl aanstellen (to employ) · pl angażować (to employ) · enm hiren (to accept employment) · ne हायर गर्नु (to employ) · oc engatjar (to employ) · yi דינגען (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · be наня́ць (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · sv anlita (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · km ជួល (to employ) · sw -ajiri (to employ) · ru нанима́ть (to employ) · om mindeessuu (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · enm hiren (to employ) · tr kiraya vermek (to exchange the services of for remuneration) · la conduco (to employ) · bg наемам (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · cs zaměstnat (to employ) · tr kiralamak (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · pl wypożyczyć (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · vi thuê (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · de vermieten (to exchange the services of for remuneration) · ga fostaigh (to employ) · fr employer (to employ) · fi työllistää (to employ) · de anheuern (naut.) (to accept employment) · sv anställa (to employ) · cmn 雇 (to employ) · gl contratar (to employ) · mk изнајмува (to employ) · ar شَغَّلَ (to employ) · gd fastaidh (to employ) · ko 고용하다 (to employ) · ar اِسْتَعْمَلَ (to employ) · fi teettää (to exchange the services of for remuneration) · fi palkata (to employ) · ru взять напрока́т (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · ota طوتمق (to employ) · ja 借りる (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · uk бра́ти напрока́т (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · pl angażować się (to accept employment) · cmn 租借 (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · ar اِسْتَخْدَمَ (to employ) · de anwerben (to employ) · bg нае́мам (to employ) · sl najeti (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · it assumere (to employ) · ru наня́ть (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · sl najeti (to employ) · ko 고용하다 (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · de einstellen (to employ) · el νοικιάζω (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · pt alugar (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · pl wynajmować (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · ru нанима́ть (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · enm hiren (to exchange the services of for remuneration) · mt kera (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · uk найня́ти (to employ) · fi vuokrata (to exchange the services of for remuneration) · nl huren (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · bg цаня (to employ) · ar اِسْتَأْجَرَ (to employ) · nl verhuren (to exchange the services of for remuneration) · vi tuyển (to employ) · pl zaangażować się (to accept employment) · lv algot (to employ) · hu bérel (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · gl alugar (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · uk узя́ти напрока́т (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · be найма́ць (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · pt empregar (to employ) · nl werk aannemen (to accept employment) · pl wynająć (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · be браць напрака́т (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · pl zatrudniać (to employ) · eu alokatu (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · de verdingen (to exchange the services of for remuneration) · izh palkata (to employ) · es emplear (to employ) · da ansætte (to employ) · ar أَجَّرَ (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · grc μισθόω (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · ru наня́ть (to employ) · de anstellen (to employ) · enm hiren (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · cmn 雇傭 (to employ) · fi palkata (to exchange the services of for remuneration) · io engajar (to employ) · it impiegare (to employ) · mk најмува (to employ) · be наня́ць (to employ) · de mieten (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · bg наемам се (to accept employment) · pl najmować (do pracy) (to employ) · de machen lassen (to accomplish by paying for services) · fr engager (to employ) · ja 雇う (to employ) · fi teettää (to accomplish by paying for services) · fr louer (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · fr embaucher (to employ) · ltg olguot (to employ) · th จ้าง (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · fi palkkautua (to accept employment) · tr işe almak (to employ) · hu felvesz (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · de sich verdingen (to accept employment) · km ជួល (to obtain the services of in return for fixed payment) · eo dungi (to employ) · uk найма́ти (to employ) · eo engaĝi (to employ) · ru трудоустра́ивать (to employ) · no ansette (to employ) · ru трудоустро́ить (to employ) · de anheuern (naut.) (to employ) · th จ้าง (to employ) · lv nolīgt (to employ) · be найма́ць (to employ) · gl empregar (to employ)