employ
Americanverb (used with object)
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to hire or engage the services of (a person or persons); provide employment for; have or keep in one's service.
This factory employs thousands of people.
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to make use of (an instrument, means, etc.); use; apply.
We employ objective and scientific methods to analyze all management areas.
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to keep busy or at work; engage the attentions of.
He employs himself by reading after work.
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to occupy or devote (time, energies, etc.).
I employ my spare time in reading. I employ all my energies in writing.
noun
verb
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to engage or make use of the services of (a person) in return for money; hire
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to provide work or occupation for; keep busy; occupy
collecting stamps employs a lot of his time
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to use as a means
to employ secret measures to get one's ends
noun
Usage
What does employ mean? To employ someone is to pay them to work. An employer employs employees. The state of being employed is employment. A more specific use of employ is as a noun meaning employment or service. This sense of the word is almost always used in phrases like in their employ. Employ also means to use, as in This task will require you to employ a different skill set. Less commonly, employ can mean to keep one busy or occupy one, as in During flights I usually employ myself with some knitting. Example: My company employs more than 500 people.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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employabilitynoun
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reemployverb (used with object)
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nonemployingadjective
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preemployverb (used with object)
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employableadjective
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overemployverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have employedperfect
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has employedperfect 3rd person singular
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are employingprogressive
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has been employingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is employingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been employingperfect progressive
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employssingular 3rd person
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employingparticiple
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am employingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had employedperfect
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were employingprogressive plural
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had been employingperfect progressive
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employedsimple
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was employingprogressive singular
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employedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of employ
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English employen, from Anglo-French, Middle French emploier, ultimately derived from Latin implicāre “to enfold” ( Late Latin: “to engage”); see implicate
Explanation
To employ means to use something or hire someone to work. You can employ a saw to cut a board or employ a tutor to teach you math. You can even employ your talents in study and activities. The Latin source of employ is the word implicāre, which literally means to enfold or be connected with. This ties in with the verb employ, which is transitive and needs a direct object. (You can't just say "I will employ — you have to employ something.) The word also suggests using something for a specific purpose: you can employ someone for a job or find something in which to employ your own interests.
Vocabulary lists containing employ
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The car wash used to employ 30 to 35 workers, the worker said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
Private businesses — which can employ up to 100 people — were authorized in 2021 and have become an increasingly important part of Cuba's economy.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
Once operational, data centers employ a much smaller number of employees.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
They say they hope to employ carers to be shared between residents when and if the need arises.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
This time he had the slight advantage of playing with the white pieces, which allowed him to employ his favorite opening strategy.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
