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to enlist

116 4.2

To join an organization like the army or persuade someone else to join

verb
/ɪnˈlɪst/

: alistarse

Men waited in lines, eager to enlist, and few were turned back.
enlist in the army
enlist in the Navy
enlist in the military

Soldiers who had received their discharges might also go on to enlist in evoquata units.

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Examples

I enlisted yesterday.

Here (2024)
The next day I enlisted in the Army.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
So if you want to enlist, please come up and see me.
What year did you enlist?

Terminator Genisys (2015)
I was ordered by the Party to enlist.

Doctor Zhivago (1965)
You can enlist now and not report for 180 days.

Payday (1973)
I tried to enlist in '41, but was rejected.

The Holdovers (2023)
Narrator 1: A year later, Ali formally refuses to enlist in the Army.

Fiction book (1998)
In the United Kingdom, able-bodied men enlist to fulfil their duty.

The War Below (2021)
If you are interested in serving your country, you can enlist in the military during the recruitment drive.

Synonyms

to sign up

vsto enlist

548 1.3

To join an activity or service by giving your name

implies joining or persuading people to commit to an organization

to recruit

vsto enlist

482 3.2

To find people to join a group or organization

is focused on joining or persuading people to become members

to muster in

vsto enlist

Jargon

1 8.4

To officially add someone to the army as a soldier

is broader, used to join various organizations not only military

Antonyms

to discharge

Formal

110 4.4

Officially release someone from a duty, job, or responsibility

to dismiss

80 2.7

To tell people to leave a meeting or room

How Voluntary

volunteer

507 2.2

to enlist

116 4.2

to recruit

482 3.2

to conscript

9 7.2

Surface Forms

enlist infinitive

enlisted past

enlisted past participle

enlisting present participle

enlists third person singular

Morphology

enlist = list (transparent) = en + list

Formed by 'en-' + 'list' meaning 'to register or sign up', so joining the armed forces (being put on a list/register) is a predictable sense.

Etymology

Enlist comes from en- 'in' plus list 'a list', so it originally meant 'to put your name on a list'. Think of joining the army as 'writing your name on the list' or 'signing up', which is why to enlist means to join a service or to ask someone to join.