What does "charter" mean?
A document issued by some authority, creating a public or private institution, and defining its purposes and privileges.
Charter
/ˈt͡ʃɑːtə/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A document issued by some authority, creating a public or private institution, and defining its purposes and privileges.
- Grammar: charter is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accredit, admission, agreement, aircraft charter.
- Useful contrasts: annul, buy, dechartering.
- Usage evidence: The charter flight is to take off at three.
How to use "charter"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "charter" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "charter" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "charter" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "charter" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "charter" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accredit" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "charter", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A document issued by some authority, creating a public or private institution, and defining its purposes and privileges.
- 2 a document incorporating an institution and specifying its rights; includes the articles of incorporation and the certificate of incorporation wordnet
- 3 A similar document conferring rights and privileges on a person, corporation etc.
- 4 a contract to hire or lease transportation wordnet
- 5 A contract for the commercial leasing of a vessel, or space on a vessel.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 The temporary hiring or leasing of a vehicle.
- 7 A deed (legal contract).
- 8 A special privilege, immunity, or exemption.
"My mother, / Who has a charter to extol her blood, / When she does praise me, grieves me."
- 9 a provision whose unintended consequence would be to encourage an undesirable activity UK, derogatory
"In what Derbyshire police say amounts to a "thieves' charter," three judges ruled that because the car's identity had been changed it was impossible to trace the legal owner and therefore the person found in possession of it was entitled to keep it."
Verb
- 1 To grant or establish a charter. transitive
- 2 engage for service under a term of contract wordnet
- 3 To lease or hire something by charter. transitive
- 4 grant a charter to wordnet
- 5 (of a peace officer) To inform (an arrestee) of their constitutional rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms upon arrest. Canada, transitive
Show 1 more definition
- 6 hold under a lease or rental agreement; of goods and services wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Leased or hired. not-comparable
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"The charter flight is to take off at three."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "charter"?
Common synonyms include: accredit, admission, agreement, aircraft charter, allowance, approve.
How do you use "charter" in a sentence?
The charter flight is to take off at three.
How do you pronounce "charter"?
Pronounced /ˈt͡ʃɑːtə/.
Etymology
From Middle English charter, chartre, borrowed from Old French chartre, from Latin chartula (diminutive of charta). See chart. Doublet of chartula.