Recruit (verb) means to enlist someone for service or to hire for a job. It can also mean to obtain people or resources for a project. The term is commonly used in military, HR, and organizational contexts, often implying a process of identifying, attracting, and selecting candidates who fit a role or mission.
"The company aims to recruit five new software engineers this quarter."
"During the retreat, the scouts will recruit volunteers for the community project."
"The army began to recruit in high schools across the district."
"They plan to recruit experts from abroad to accelerate the research initiative."
Recruit comes from the Old French recoter or recroitre meaning to raise, re-collect, or enlist, and from the Latin recuperare meaning to restore or recover. The sense evolved in English through late medieval usages tied to gathering or raising a force or number of people. In its military sense, it referred to the process of raising troops or forming a new unit. By the 16th century, recruit broadened to civilian applications, notably in labor markets and employment contexts, where it described gathering candidates for a position. Over time, the emphasis shifted from the act of raising to the act of selecting a person who fits a role, but the core idea of bringing new people into an organization remains central. The word has retained its root in both recruitment campaigns and staffing strategies, with modern usage encompassing online job postings, headhunting, and volunteer enlistment. The first known use in English appears in the early 14th century, with related forms in Latin and French evolving to the modern verb form we use today.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Recruit" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Recruit" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Recruit"
-oot sounds
-uit sounds
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Pronounce as rɪˈkruːt (US) or rɪˈkruːt (UK/AU). The stress is on the second syllable. Start with a short, lax r- sound, then the /ɪ/ as in 'kit,' followed by a strong /k/ onset for the second syllable and the long vowel /uː/ as in 'goat,' ending with a light /t/. Audio reference: use any reputable dictionary’s audio, such as Cambridge or Oxford, and compare with a native speaker via Forvo or YouGlish to feel the movement of your tongue toward /kruːt/.
Common mistakes include saying /ˈriːkruːt/ with incorrect vowel length in the first syllable and misplacing the primary stress on the first syllable (REcruit). Also, some learners join the two vowels too tightly, producing something like /ˌriːˈkruːt/ or drop the /r/ in some dialects. Correction: ensure the first syllable has a short /ɪ/ (as in kit) and place the stress on the second syllable: rɪˈkruːt. Practice with minimal pairs to solidify the /ɪ/ vs /iː/ distinction and keep the /t/ final sharp but not overemphasized.
US: rɪˈkruːt with rhotic r; UK/AU: rɪˈkruːt, similarly rhotic in most accents. The key difference lies in vowel quality and /r/ coloring; US typically has a darker /ɹ/ and perhaps a more pronounced rhotic coloring, while UK often features crisper /r/ after consonants in non-rhotic accents, but in modern UK English many speakers are rhotic. Australian often aligns with non-rhotic tendencies in some contexts but can be rhotic, with /ɪ/ slightly tenser and /uː/ rounded. Overall, the stress pattern stays on the second syllable in all major varieties.
It can be tricky due to the mid-to-high back vowel /uː/ following a reduced /ɪ/ in the first syllable, plus the need to stress the second syllable. The consonant cluster /kr/ with a preceding short /ɪ/ can cause blending errors, and final /t/ can be unreleased in fluent speech, masking the syllable boundary. Focus on keeping a clean /ɪ/ in the first syllable, then a crisp /kruːt/ with a strong but short final /t/. Slow practice helps you hear the boundary clearly.
Is the 're' in recruit pronounced with a schwa or a reduced vowel?
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