- 1 [transitive] hire something (especially British English) to pay money to borrow something for a short time to hire a car/room/video British/Americanrent / hire / letVerbs You can hire something for a short period of time , (British English only)) but rent something for a longer period:We can hire bikes for a day to explore the town. We don’t own our TV, we rent it. In North American English, rent is always used. It is sometimes now used in British English instead of hire, too. The owners of a thing can hire it out for a short period:(British English) Do you hire out bikes? Or they can rent (out)/let (out) a building, etc:We rent out rooms in our house to students. Outside a building you could see:(British English) To let (especially North American English) For rent. To hire can also mean to employ somebody, especially in North American English:We hired a new secretary. see also leaseNouns The amount of money that you pay to rent something is rent or rental (more formal). When you hire something you pay a hire charge (British English). On a sign outside a shop you might see:(British English) Bikes for hire. see also let, lease, hire Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbby the day, week, etc., locally prepositionfrom See full entry
- 2 [transitive, intransitive] hire (somebody) (especially North American English) to give somebody a job She was hired three years ago. He does the hiring and firing in our company. We’re not hiring right now. CollocationsJobsGetting a job look for work look for/apply for/go for a job get/pick up/complete/fill out/ (British English) fill in an application (form) send/email your (British English) CV/(North American English) résumé/application/application form/covering letter be called for/have/attend an interview offer somebody a job/work/employment/promotion find/get/land a job employ/ (especially North American English) hire/recruit/ (especially British English) take on staff/workers/trainees recruit/appoint a managerDoing a job arrive at/get to/leave work/the office/the factory start/finish work/your shift do/put in/work overtime have/gain/get/lack/need experience/qualifications do/get/have/receive training learn/pick up/improve/develop (your) skills cope with/manage/share/spread the workload improve your/achieve a better work-life balance have (no) job satisfaction/job securityBuilding a career have a job/work/a career/a vocation find/follow/pursue/ (especially North American English) live (out) your vocation enter/go into/join a profession choose/embark on/start/begin/pursue a career change jobs/profession/career be/ (both especially British English) work/go freelance do/take on temp work/freelance work do/be engaged in/be involved in voluntary workLeaving your job leave/ (especially North American English) quit/resign from your job give up work/your job/your career hand in your notice/resignation plan to/be due to retire in June/next year, etc. take early retirement Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbby the day verb + hirecan/can’t afford to phraseshire and fire See full entry See related entries: Job interviews
- 3 [transitive] hire somebody/something to employ somebody for a short time to do a particular job to hire a lawyer They hired a firm of consultants to design the new system. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbby the day verb + hirecan/can’t afford to phraseshire and fire See full entry See related entries: Job interviews Word OriginOld English hȳrian ‘employ someone for wages’, hȳr ‘payment under contract for the use of something’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch huren (verb), huur (noun).Extra examples Bicycles can be hired from several local shops. Ski equipment can be hired locally. The entire workforce was laid off and a fresh one promptly hired. The television studio couldn’t afford to hire a top-notch cast. What’s the cost of hiring by the day? Who is responsible for hiring and firing around here? Workers were hired by the day. His killer was a 16-year-old hired assassin. It may be possible to borrow rather than hire the tools. There’s a place where you can hire bikes for the day. They hired a room above a pub for the wedding reception. We hired a car from a local firm. We’re not hiring right now. You will need to hire yourself an accountant and a lawyer. Phrasal Verbshire outhire yourself out
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BrE BrE//ˈhaɪə(r)//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhaɪər//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they hire BrE BrE//ˈhaɪə(r)//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhaɪər//
he / she / it hires BrE BrE//ˈhaɪəz//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhaɪərz//
past simple hired BrE BrE//ˈhaɪəd//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhaɪərd//
past participle hired BrE BrE//ˈhaɪəd//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhaɪərd//
-ing form hiring BrE BrE//ˈhaɪərɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//ˈhaɪərɪŋ//
Job interviewsCheck pronunciation: hire
