recruitment

noun

re·​cruit·​ment ri-ˈkrüt-mənt How to pronounce recruitment (audio)
Synonyms of recruitmentnext
1
: the action or process of recruiting
2
: the process of adding new individuals to a population or subpopulation (as of breeding or legally catchable individuals) by growth, reproduction, immigration, and stocking
also : a measure (as in numbers or biomass) of recruitment

Examples of recruitment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Meanwhile, enrollment in formal military cadet schools and specialized recruitment tracks reached 780,000 students by 2025, up from 200,000 in 2018. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 The bias in police recruitment was even worse in South Africa under apartheid, when the police forces were all-white organizations that frequently abused their power in dealings with Black South Africans. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 Stacy Garrity, Shapiro's Republican challenger, has attacked Shapiro over his past recruitment of data centers to Pennsylvania. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Wouldn't something high-octane, like a military recruitment ad, have been more fitting? — Jon Kirchner, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for recruitment

Word History

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of recruitment was in 1793

Browse Nearby Words

recruiting ground
recruitment
recrusher
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Recruitment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recruitment. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Medical Definition

recruitment

noun
re·​cruit·​ment ri-ˈkrüt-mənt How to pronounce recruitment (audio)
1
: the increase in intensity of a reflex when the initiating stimulus is prolonged without alteration of intensity due to the activation of increasing numbers of motor neurons compare reinforcement
2
: an abnormally rapid increase in the sensation of loudness with increasing sound intensity that occurs in deafness of neural origin and especially in neural deafness of the aged in which soft sounds may be completely inaudible while louder sounds are distressingly loud

More from Merriam-Webster on recruitment

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for recruitment

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