charter
1 of 3noun
char·ter ˈchär-tər 
1
: a written instrument (see instrument entry 1 sense 5) or contract (such as a deed) executed in due form
2
a
: a grant or guarantee of rights, franchises, or privileges from the sovereign power of a state or country
The charter allows for unrestricted trading.
b
: a written instrument that creates and defines the franchises (see franchise entry 1 sense 1) of a city, educational institution, or corporation
a city charter
a corporate charter
c
: constitution
the Charter of the United Nations
3
: a written instrument from the authorities of a society creating a lodge or branch
The national headquarters approved the charter establishing the local lodge.
4
: a special privilege, immunity, or exemption
5
: a mercantile lease of a ship or some principal part of it
In the charter the ship's owner agreed to transport specified cargo to a specified port.
6
a
: a charter travel arrangement
An agent handled the charter providing aircraft travel to and from the tournament.
b
: a chartered plane, bus, etc.
Their charter had just landed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport and … everyone in the Mariners' traveling party had to slog through a tedious customs check and then claim his own luggage.
Jeff Pearlman
Jeff Pearlman7
: charter school
He pushed for the closure of Chicago's worst schools … and opened dozens of new schools, many of them charters. Amanda Paulson et al.
Amanda Paulson et al.charter
2 of 3verb
chartered; chartering; charters
transitive verb
1
a
: to establish, enable, or convey by charter
The city was chartered in 1837.
b
British : certify
a chartered mechanical engineer
2
: to hire, rent, or lease for usually exclusive and temporary use
chartered a boat for deep-sea fishing
charterer
ˈchär-tər-ər
noun charter
3 of 3adjective
: of, relating to, or being a travel arrangement in which transportation (such as a bus or plane) is hired by and for one specific group of people
a charter flight
Synonyms
Verb
- engage
- hire
- lease
- rent
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun The charter allows for unrestricted trading. Verb The city was chartered in 1837. The team chartered a plane.
Recent Examples on the Web Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022 On August 16, 1,500 Afghan religious minorities watched with mounting anxiety as the wheels pulled up on the last U.S. charter flight for evacuees from the UAE airport, carrying a few hundred members of Afghan military families. Nina Shea, National Review, 28 Aug. 2022 The team quickly gathered, loaded on replacement buses and headed to the airport to board its Allegiant Air charter flight. Gerald Thomas Iii, USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2022 Angel City, like the Sparks, won’t be taking a charter flight to any of them. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022 Case in point: During a team charter flight that included officials from the previous night’s game, a pilot informed all passengers to wear oxygen masks. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2022 But two days after the signing, publicly available flight records showed that an Ethiopian Airlines charter flight took off from Tekirdağ, an hour’s drive west of Istanbul, at an airstrip known for testing and exporting the Turkish drones. Umar Farooq, ProPublica, 12 July 2022 The Elgin chapter of the Izaak Walton League is celebrating its national charter’s 100th anniversary with a project that will add to its legacy in the city. Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2022 The goal is to give the team enough time to discuss, define and write down its charter. Peter Stewart, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Dec. 2021 There is also no visitor accommodation anywhere here, so most people arrive on a cruise ship — although the most intrepid can charter a yacht from the Falkland Islands or somewhere in South America. CNN, 17 July 2022 The idea returned this year in SB 1291, which gave that same broad licensing power only to charter schools. Peter Greene, Forbes, 7 July 2022 This represents a decline in overall public school enrollment, and a shift from public to charter schools, marking education’s latecomer status to the privatization of public goods. Charles Mccrary, The New Republic, 5 July 2022 Caplan raised $1 million for Aghan refugees, money that helped charter a plane to get 300 people out of the hands of the Taliban. Elizabeth Macbride, Forbes, 4 June 2022 In response, Abbott ordered the state Division of Emergency Management to charter buses to take those in Texas communities to D.C. Fox News, 13 May 2022 In early March, days after Russia invaded Ukraine and began cracking down on dissent at home, Konstantin Siniushin, a venture capitalist in Riga, Latvia, helped charter two planes out of Russia to help people flee. New York Times, 13 Apr. 2022 Target, because of its size, was able to charter vessels and fill its shelves ahead of the holiday shipping crunch. Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2022 Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 5 Sep. 2022 The rules would require charter schools to prove they are needed by demonstrating that traditional public schools are over-enrolled. The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2022 Each of those districts enroll more than 300,000 students, compared to San Diego Unified’s approximately 95,000 district, non-charter students. Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2022 Between the 2014-2015 and 2020-2021 academic years, non-charter public school enrollment in California declined by 378,674 students, or 6.7%, according to state data. WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022 According to the paper, 782 of the 999 public, non-charter schools included in the study were in Maricopa County. David Zweig, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2021 Last school year alone, charters gained 240,000 students, while non-charter public schools’ enrollment dropped 3.3%, a total loss of more than 1.45 million students. Jeanne Allen, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2021 But the well of Campbell support floored her, particularly, Rousseau said, after a pro-charter Super PAC backed the councilor. BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2021 Palm Beach County is asking for grades for two non-charter schools. Scott Travis, sun-sentinel.com, 7 Sep. 2021 See More
Noun
The Utes’ charter flight, scheduled to depart Gainesville Regional Airport around midnight following the game, was delayed because of mechanical issues, according to a Twitter post made by Utes communications director Paul Kirk early Sunday. Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Sep. 2022 On August 16, 1,500 Afghan religious minorities watched with mounting anxiety as the wheels pulled up on the last U.S. charter flight for evacuees from the UAE airport, carrying a few hundred members of Afghan military families. Nina Shea, National Review, 28 Aug. 2022 The team quickly gathered, loaded on replacement buses and headed to the airport to board its Allegiant Air charter flight. Gerald Thomas Iii, USA TODAY, 27 Aug. 2022 Angel City, like the Sparks, won’t be taking a charter flight to any of them. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022 Case in point: During a team charter flight that included officials from the previous night’s game, a pilot informed all passengers to wear oxygen masks. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 22 July 2022 But two days after the signing, publicly available flight records showed that an Ethiopian Airlines charter flight took off from Tekirdağ, an hour’s drive west of Istanbul, at an airstrip known for testing and exporting the Turkish drones. Umar Farooq, ProPublica, 12 July 2022 The Elgin chapter of the Izaak Walton League is celebrating its national charter’s 100th anniversary with a project that will add to its legacy in the city. Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2022 The goal is to give the team enough time to discuss, define and write down its charter. Peter Stewart, Forbes, 12 Aug. 2022 Verb
Based around a simple dashboard, the search engine allows jet-setters to peruse the company’s network of operators to charter flights anywhere in the world. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Dec. 2021 There is also no visitor accommodation anywhere here, so most people arrive on a cruise ship — although the most intrepid can charter a yacht from the Falkland Islands or somewhere in South America. CNN, 17 July 2022 The idea returned this year in SB 1291, which gave that same broad licensing power only to charter schools. Peter Greene, Forbes, 7 July 2022 This represents a decline in overall public school enrollment, and a shift from public to charter schools, marking education’s latecomer status to the privatization of public goods. Charles Mccrary, The New Republic, 5 July 2022 Caplan raised $1 million for Aghan refugees, money that helped charter a plane to get 300 people out of the hands of the Taliban. Elizabeth Macbride, Forbes, 4 June 2022 In response, Abbott ordered the state Division of Emergency Management to charter buses to take those in Texas communities to D.C. Fox News, 13 May 2022 In early March, days after Russia invaded Ukraine and began cracking down on dissent at home, Konstantin Siniushin, a venture capitalist in Riga, Latvia, helped charter two planes out of Russia to help people flee. New York Times, 13 Apr. 2022 Target, because of its size, was able to charter vessels and fill its shelves ahead of the holiday shipping crunch. Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2022 Adjective
There has, however, been a lot of scrutiny over how celebs choose to travel since so many of them charter private jets even for short distances. Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 5 Sep. 2022 The rules would require charter schools to prove they are needed by demonstrating that traditional public schools are over-enrolled. The Editors, National Review, 29 Apr. 2022 Each of those districts enroll more than 300,000 students, compared to San Diego Unified’s approximately 95,000 district, non-charter students. Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2022 Between the 2014-2015 and 2020-2021 academic years, non-charter public school enrollment in California declined by 378,674 students, or 6.7%, according to state data. WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022 According to the paper, 782 of the 999 public, non-charter schools included in the study were in Maricopa County. David Zweig, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2021 Last school year alone, charters gained 240,000 students, while non-charter public schools’ enrollment dropped 3.3%, a total loss of more than 1.45 million students. Jeanne Allen, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2021 But the well of Campbell support floored her, particularly, Rousseau said, after a pro-charter Super PAC backed the councilor. BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2021 Palm Beach County is asking for grades for two non-charter schools. Scott Travis, sun-sentinel.com, 7 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English chartre, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin chartula, from Latin, diminutive of charta — see chart entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
1920, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing charter
Kids Definition
charter 1 of 2
noun
char·ter ˈchär-tər
1
: an official document setting out the rights and duties of a group
The charter grants broad trading rights.
2
: a document which declares that a city, town, school, or corporation has been established
3
: a document that describes the basic laws or principles of a group
the charity's charter
charter
2 of 2verb
chartered; chartering
1
: to grant a charter to
The city was chartered in 1853.
2
: to hire (as a bus or an aircraft) for temporary use
The team chartered a plane.
Legal Definition
charter 1 of 2
noun
char·ter
1
a
: a grant or guarantee of rights, powers, or privileges from an authority or agency of a state or country
a state bank charter
compare constitution b
: a written instrument that creates and defines the powers and privileges of a city, educational institution, or corporation compare articles of incorporation
2
: a written instrument from the authorities of a society creating a lodge, branch, or chapter
3
: a lease of a ship especially for the delivery of cargo
called also charter party
charter
2 of 2transitive verb
1
: to establish, enable, or convey by charter
charter a bank
2
: to lease or hire for usually exclusive and temporary use
charter a ship
charter 1 of 2
noun
1
as in treaty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- treaty
- contract
- agreement
- settlement
- pact
- convention
- covenant
- pledge
- association
- partnership
- promise
- understanding
- compact
- bargain
- alliance
- binder
- league
- approval
- deal
- accord
- disposition
- assent
- acceptance
- consent
- entente
- concurrence
- entente cordiale
- okay
- OK
2
as in grant
Synonyms & Similar Words
- grant
- patent
- exemption
- waiver
- prerogative
- immunity
- perquisite
- birthright
- entitlement
- privilege
- right
- concession
- claim
- apanage
- appanage
- courtesy
- honor
- boon
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- duty
- responsibility
- obligation
- burden
charter
2 of 2verb
1
as in to rent
to take or get the temporary use of (something) for a set sum charter a boat Synonyms & Similar Words
- rent
- hire
- lease
- book
- sublease
- sublet
- check out
- engage
- reserve
- order
- sign up (for)
- contract (for)
- arrange (for)
- bespeak
2
as in to enable
British to give official or legal power to a London firm seeking the services of a chartered accountant Synonyms & Similar Words
- enable
- commission
- authorize
- license
- empower
- qualify
- permit
- vest
- licence
- certify
- accredit
- sanction
- warrant
- entitle
- invest
- approve
- allow
- endorse
- credential
- instate
- privilege
- affirm
- induct
- validate
- confirm
- initiate
- inaugurate
- indorse
- install
- clear
- let
- swear in
- okay
- enfranchise
- OK
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- ban
- prevent
- bar
- exclude
- disqualify
- deny
- hold back
- block
- stop
- veto
- hinder
- prohibit
- discourage
- constrain
- obstruct
- impede
- disallow
- outlaw
- inhibit
- proscribe
- forbid
- enjoin
- disfranchise
- disbar
- shut out
- disenfranchise
- interdict
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of charter are hire, lease, let, and rent. While all these words mean "to engage or grant for use at a price," charter applies to the hiring or letting of a vehicle usually for exclusive use.
charter a bus to go to the game
Both hire and let, strictly speaking, are complementary terms, hire implying the act of engaging or taking for use and let the granting of use.
we hired a car for the summer
decided to let the cottage to a young couple
While in some cases nearly identical to charter, lease strictly implies a letting under the terms of a contract but is often applied to hiring on a lease.
the diplomat leased an apartment for a year
The words rent and charter are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rent stresses the payment of money for the full use of property and may imply either hiring or letting.
instead of buying a house, they decided to rent
will not rent to families with children
- Phillips
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