work for hiren.1. pl. works for hire A composition or creation whose copyright is owned or retained by the party that commissioned it or by the employer of the person who produced it.2. pl. work for hires A legal contract that commissions a work for hire.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.