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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Hire: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：employ someone (hire)

hire 🔊

/ˈhaɪə(r)/

To pay someone to work for you for a period of time.

Hire meaning: A manager hiring an applicant with a handshake in a cozy cafe setting.

employ someone 🔊

➕

/ɪmˈplɔɪ sʌmwʌn/

To formally bring someone into your organization or team to do a job in exchange for payment.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'hȳrian' (to obtain for use at a price), related to wages.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of 'fire' and 'hire'. You 'hire' to ignite someone's job, and you might 'fire' them if it doesn't work out.

📖 Example

The new café decided to hire two more baristas before the summer rush. 🔊 The new café decided to employ two more baristas before the summer rush.

🔗 Collocations

hire staff – to recruit and employ employees

hire and fire – to employ and dismiss people, often easily

hire out – to make someone available for work with another employer

🔄 Synonyms

employ (v.) – To give someone a job and pay them for it.

recruit (v.) – To find new people to join a company, organization, or the armed forces.

take on () – To begin to employ someone.

🚫 Antonyms

fire (v.) – To dismiss someone from their job.

lay off (v.) – To stop employing someone because there is no work for them to do.

dismiss (v.) – To remove someone from their job, especially because they have done something wrong.

🌱 Derivatives

hireling (n.) – A person who works only for money, often with a negative connotation.

hiring (n.) – The action of employing someone.

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'hire' originates from Old English and is connected to the concept of payment for temporary use of services or goods. In modern business culture, it is fundamental to employment and gig economies, contrasting with permanent employment ('to hire and fire').

Meaning 2：rent for a short period (hire)

hire 🔊

/ˈhaɪə(r)/

To pay to use something like a car or equipment for a short time.

Hire definition: Renting a car at a rental counter transaction scene.

rent for a short period 🔊

➕

/rent fɔː(r) ə ʃɔːt ˈpɪəriəd/

To pay money to use a vehicle, piece of equipment, or space for a limited, usually short, period.

📁 Category：Transportation & Travel 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

We decided to hire a car for the weekend so we could explore the coastal villages. 🔊 We decided to rent a car for the weekend so we could explore the coastal villages.

🔗 Collocations

hire a car – to rent a vehicle for temporary use

hire purchase – a system for buying expensive goods by paying in installments

on hire – available to be rented

🔄 Synonyms

rent (v.) – To pay money to use something for a period of time.

lease (v.) – To use or let someone use property or equipment in exchange for regular payments under a formal contract.

charter (v.) – To hire an aircraft, ship, or boat for exclusive use.

🚫 Antonyms

own (v.) – To have something as your possession.

buy (v.) – To obtain something by paying money for it.

Meaning 3：engage a professional (hire)

hire 🔊

/ˈhaɪə(r)/

To arrange for a professional to do a specific job by paying them.

Hire explanation: A couple engaging a professional wedding photographer in a garden.

engage a professional 🔊

➕

/ɪnˈɡeɪdʒ ə prəˈfeʃənl/

To formally arrange and pay for the services of a specialist or expert for a specific task or event.

📁 Category：Social Roles 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

They decided to hire a professional photographer for their wedding day to capture the special moments. 🔊 They decided to engage a professional photographer for their wedding day to capture the special moments.

🔗 Collocations

hire a consultant – to bring in an external expert for advice

hire help – to employ someone to assist with tasks, often domestic

hire a contractor – to engage a person or company to do specific construction or repair work

🔄 Synonyms

engage (v.) – To arrange to employ or use the services of someone, often for a short period.

commission (v.) – To formally ask someone to produce a piece of work, especially art.

contract (v.) – To arrange for work to be done by an outside person or company, often formally.

🚫 Antonyms

dismiss (v.) – To decide that someone or something is not suitable and stop using them.

fire (v.) – To end a professional contract or arrangement for services.