employ
Americanverb (used with object)
-
employs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
employed,
past participle, past
-
employing
present participle
-
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.
-
to make use of (an instrument, means, etc.); use; apply.
We employ objective and scientific methods to analyze all management areas.
-
to keep busy or at work; engage the attentions of.
He employs himself by reading after work.
-
to occupy or devote (time, energies, etc.).
I employ my spare time in reading. I employ all my energies in writing.
noun
-
employs
plural
verb
-
to engage or make use of the services of (a person) in return for money; hire
-
to provide work or occupation for; keep busy; occupy
collecting stamps employs a lot of his time
-
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
-
employabilitynoun
-
overemployverb (used with object)
-
preemployverb (used with object)
-
reemployverb (used with object)
-
employableadjective
-
nonemployingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
employsimple
-
employssimple
-
have employedperfect
-
has employedperfect
-
am employingprogressive
-
are employingprogressive
-
is employingprogressive
-
have been employingperfect progressive
-
has been employingperfect progressive
Past
-
employedsimple
-
had employedperfect
-
was employingprogressive
-
were employingprogressive
-
had been employingperfect progressive
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
If you plan to stay up late in the very far north of England, Northern Ireland or much of Scotland you may need to employ a little more patience.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Newer cars and trucks employ opposite frequency technology, which lowers road noise, silicone-based coating on door seals that cuts virtually all high-frequency whistling, and noise-dampening designs on windows, to name a few technologies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Radev said that, following the latest incident, Bulgaria has boosted its surveillance and will redeploy troops and soldiers to the borders to detect drones and employ anti-drone measures.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
Factory production has strengthened for months after years of sluggish data and jobs losses, although manufacturers still employ fewer workers than they did a year ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
By the end of the 1590s, the instrument was selling so well that for a short time Galileo had to employ a skilled workman to make them for him.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
The plant employs around 1,000 people and is just one of many sprawling industrial complexes standing out starkly from the lush Appalachian Mountain landscape.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
It employs about 280,000 people in more than 20 countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
In federal filings, the nonprofit says it runs 16 facilities in L.A. and Orange counties and employs about 170 people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Recognizable by a subtle sparkly strip hidden inside a collar or on an aglet at the end of a drawstring cord, Cucinelli’s luxury clothing brand employs a muted palette of tans and grays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Straddling the border of France and Switzerland, it employs three thousand people and occupies a site that is measured in square miles.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
The workers, who are employed by sub-contractor Idverde, will strike over a proposed pay rise of 70p an hour for skilled gardeners and team leaders, which GMB union said was "an insult".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
When the Secret Service devised a plan to transport Bill Clinton from India to Pakistan in 2000, it was similar to the plan that Trump employed on July 8.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
On TikTok, young people dubbed personality hires are pushing back against the narrative that they are employed despite lacking skills.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
That study even found negative effects for participants born after 1986, including an increased likelihood of not being employed or enrolled in school.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
“It’s this wild animal here. We employed him only last month, and he already wants to steal everything in my house.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Those who trust these writers’ capabilities with using comic book properties as springboards to examine thornier issues can probably deduce that “Lanterns” is employing it for a specific reason.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Kellanova, maker of Pringles chips in Europe, is working with Siemens to perfect the canister-dispensed snack item, an effort employing AI, but also digital twins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Fines are already being imposed on organisations found to be in breach of immigration laws, with one council fined £45,000 for employing one illegal worker in June.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
It serves children and adults alike, coaching parents on reaching their goals, connecting them with services and even employing them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Between Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Hanford, and other secret labs around the country, the Manhattan Project was employing more than 300,000 people.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
