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Prepositions after verbs

Hire by, hire in, or hire for?

Hire is often used without a preposition, but by, in, and for can appear in different grammatical roles.

Quick answer

How do we use hire with prepositions?

Hire usually takes a direct object: hire staff. Hire for can show a purpose or role. Hire in is used mainly in British English for bringing outside workers or equipment. By often belongs to passive structures or time expressions rather than a fixed pattern.

The company plans to hire more engineers.
They hired in extra security staff.
She was hired for her language skills.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
hire + person or service

Employing or renting something

The basic structure uses a direct object.

We need to hire a driver.
They hired a sound system.
2
hire for + role or purpose

Showing the reason for hiring

For introduces a job, task, or quality.

He was hired for the marketing role.
The studio hired her for her experience.
3
hire in + outside help

Bringing in temporary workers or services

Hire in is mainly British English and often means obtaining help from outside.

The firm hired in consultants.
We may need to hire in extra equipment.
4
hired by + employer

Showing who employed someone

By is common in passive sentences.

She was hired by an international company.
They were hired by the organisers.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
hire by
He was hired by a software company.
passive structure showing the employer
hire in
The restaurant hired in extra staff.
bring in outside or temporary help
hire for
She was hired for her technical skills.
showing role, reason, or purpose
hire at
They hired workers at short notice.
At adds circumstance, not a fixed pattern

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using by in active sentences

By usually appears in passive constructions.

✕ The manager hired by three assistants. ✓ The manager hired three assistants.

Confusing hire in with hire

Hire in suggests bringing help from outside.

✓ The company hired in temporary staff during the festival.

Using for without a clear purpose

For should introduce a role, task, or reason.

✓ He was hired for the position of analyst.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The company plans to ___ two new designers.
2. They hired ___ extra workers during the busy season.
3. She was hired ___ her communication skills.

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Frequently asked questions

Is hire in mainly British English?

Yes. It is more common in British English than in American English.

Can hire mean rent?

Yes. In many varieties of English, hire can mean rent equipment, vehicles, or services.

Do I always need a preposition after hire?

No. Hire commonly takes a direct object without any preposition.

hack-into-by-at-to, in "haggle with" or "haggle for"? "hail from" or "hail as"? hamper by, due, in, for or throughout? "handle by" or "handle in"? hang in, from, over, around or onto? "happen to" or "happen in"? harass by, in, at, for or with? "harm by" or "harm to"? harvest from, in, for, at or by? hasten to, by, from, after or into? hate on, for, by, about or in?

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