charter

USCHAR-tur/ˈt͡ʃɑɹtɚ/UKCHAR-tuh/ˈt͡ʃɑːtə/

11 meanings of charter

1
nouncountable
An official paper that sets up an organization and says what it is allowed to do.
Like a birth certificate for a club, school, or city.
The king signed a charter that created the new university.
The city still keeps its original charter from 1850.
Similarconstitution
Note
2
nouncountable
An official paper that gives special rights to a person or company.
The bank got a charter that lets it do business in three states.
The king gave the settlers a charter with rights to the land.
Similarlicense, franchise
3
verbtransitive
To rent a vehicle, such as a bus, boat, or plane.
Like renting the whole bus instead of just buying one seat.
They plan to charter a boat for the birthday party.
The school chartered a bus for the field trip.
Similarhire, rent, lease
4
nouncountable
The renting of a vehicle, such as a bus or boat, for a short time.
The class booked a bus charter for the museum trip.
Their boat charter ends on Sunday, so the trip must finish by then.
Similarhire, rental, lease
5
verbtransitive
To set up or approve an organization by giving it an official paper.
The king agreed to charter a new college in the city.
The state chartered the new bank last year.
Similarestablish, incorporate, found, license
6
nouncountable
A business agreement to rent a ship, or space on a ship, for a time.
Like renting a moving truck, but the truck is a ship.
The company signed a charter to use the ship for six months.
Their charter covers half the space on the cargo boat.
Similarlease
7
adjective
Rented or hired, like a bus or plane that a group pays to use.
We took a charter bus to the game.
The small airport mostly handles charter flights.
Similarleased
8
nouncountable
A special right or freedom to do something.
Like a free pass that lets you do something others cannot.
Being the boss does not give you a charter to be rude.
His age gave him a charter to say whatever he liked.
Similarlicense, right, privilege, warrant
Note
9
nouncountable
An official written paper that records a legal agreement.
The old charter shows who owned the farm two hundred years ago.
The lawyer read the charter aloud before both sides signed it.
Similardeed
10
nounderogatoryUKcountable
A rule that ends up making a bad activity easier, even though nobody planned that.
Critics called the new law a charter for cheats.
Parents said the new school rule was a bullies' charter.
Note
11
verbCanadatransitive
To tell a person being arrested about their legal rights, as police in Canada must do.
Like when police on TV say, 'You have the right to remain silent.'
Police in Canada must charter everyone they arrest.
The officer chartered the man as soon as the handcuffs went on.
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Old French chartre, from Latin chartula, a small form of charta (paper).