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.
chartered; chartering; charters
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
: 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
Examples of charter in a Sentence
Noun
The charter allows for unrestricted trading.
Verb
The city was chartered in 1837.
The team chartered a plane.
Recent Examples on the Web
Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2025
Many Democrats had championed charters in the ’90s as a more palatable way to offer school choice, and Republicans had adopted the idea, too; Brennan, the chairman of Voinovich’s school choice commission, launched a for-profit charter school venture.
—Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2025
Gil MacIas, People.com, 2 Jan. 2025
The injunction currently allows both teams to operate as chartered for the 2025 season, thereby securing their continuous business operations without administrative disruptions.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
The Editorial Board, WSJ, 24 Oct. 2022
At the time, billionaires Mike Bloomberg and the late Eli Broad spent tens of millions of dollars promoting charter schools nationally, including large sums in Oakland to support charter schools and to ensure pro-charter candidates were elected to the board.
—Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2022
See all Example Sentences for charter 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Several of the migrants had legal status in the U.S. as asylum seekers and said they were tricked into taking the charter flights with false promises of jobs and other aid.
—Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2025
Many Democrats had championed charters in the ’90s as a more palatable way to offer school choice, and Republicans had adopted the idea, too; Brennan, the chairman of Voinovich’s school choice commission, launched a for-profit charter school venture.
—Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
On the morning of Dec. 31, The Sato Project chartered a plane to fly 75 animals collected from the streets of Puerto Rico to new adoptive homes in the northeastern U.S.
—Gil MacIas, People.com, 2 Jan. 2025
The injunction currently allows both teams to operate as chartered for the 2025 season, thereby securing their continuous business operations without administrative disruptions.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Charter school performance was uneven, but in at least 11 states charter fourth graders outperformed their non-charter counterparts in math in 2022, including in Alaska (+16 points), Nevada (+12 points) and North Carolina (+21 points).
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 24 Oct. 2022
At the time, billionaires Mike Bloomberg and the late Eli Broad spent tens of millions of dollars promoting charter schools nationally, including large sums in Oakland to support charter schools and to ensure pro-charter candidates were elected to the board.
—Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2022
See all Example Sentences for charter
Articles Related to charter
Dictionary Entries Near charter
Cite this Entry
“Charter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charter. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
charter
1 of 3 noun
char·ter
ˈchärt-ər 
1
: an official document granting, guaranteeing, or showing the limits of the rights and duties of the group to which it is given
2
: a contract by which owners of a ship lease it to others
3
: a charter travel arrangement
charter
2 of 3 verb1
: to grant a charter to
2
: to hire (as a ship or a bus) for temporary use
charter
3 of 3 adjective
: of, relating to, or being a travel arrangement in which transportation (as a bus or plane) is hired by and for a specific group of people
a charter flight
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share