enlist
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
-
to engage for military service.
to enlist men for the army.
-
to secure (a person, services, etc.) for some cause, enterprise, etc..
They enlisted us to serve as ushers at the meeting.
verb
-
to enter or persuade to enter into an engagement to serve in the armed forces
-
(tr) to engage or secure (a person, his services, or his support) for a venture, cause, etc
-
to enter into or join an enterprise, cause, etc
Other Word Forms
- enlister noun
- enlistment noun
- preenlist verb
- unenlisted adjective
Etymology
Origin of enlist
Explanation
To enlist is to voluntarily join the military. You may have seen television commercials or posters encouraging people to enlist. There are various ways people end up in the military. Sometimes there's a draft, which selects people whether they want to go or not. Sometimes people enlist, which means they sign up on their own. Enlisting also refers to recruiting or hiring people for some purpose or organization. If you are moving, you might try to enlist your friends to help — good luck with that.
Vocabulary lists containing enlist
Veterans Day Vocabulary
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Memorial Day: Words of Respect and Remembrance
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Code Talker
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tolkan landed a scholarship to the college, but his academic career was short-lived, and he left to enlist in the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
But don’t stop there: Nonprofits such as the Village to Village Network and Village Without Walls enlist volunteers to help seniors.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026
One of the world's biggest pop acts, BTS were at the peak of their fame when they had to enlist for mandatory military service, starting with Jin in 2022.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
Parents pay thousands of dollars and enlist college counselors to burnish their high-schoolers’ summer portfolios.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026
Threats to enlist that winter were always declaimed like Brinker’s, with a grinding of back teeth and a flashing of eyes; I had already heard plenty of them.
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
