enlist meaning and examples thumbnail

enlist meaning and examples

2025-09-07

Meaning

  • Enlist means to join the armed forces, or more generally, to secure the help or support of someone for a cause, task, or project.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: verb (can be transitive or intransitive).

  • Common patterns:

    • enlist in + (the army/navy/air force) → to join the military.
    • enlist somebody’s help/support → to persuade someone to assist.
    • enlist as + role → to join in a specific capacity.

Common Phrases

  • enlist in the army
  • enlist someone’s help
  • enlist support for a campaign

Collocations

  • Verb + enlist: try to enlist, attempt to enlist, manage to enlist
  • Enlist + noun: help, support, services, cooperation
  • Prepositions: enlist in, enlist for, enlist as

Examples

  1. He decided to enlist in the navy after finishing high school.
  2. They tried to enlist her support for the environmental campaign.
  3. Many young men enlisted during the war.
  4. The teacher enlisted the help of parents to organize the school festival.
  5. She successfully enlisted a group of volunteers for the charity event.
  6. The government is seeking to enlist public opinion on the new policy.
  7. He enlisted as a medic and served overseas.
  • join
  • recruit
  • enroll
  • engage
  • sign up

Antonym

  • discharge
  • dismiss
  • exclude
  • release