employed

American  

[em-ploid] / ɛmˈplɔɪd /

adjective

1. given employment, or paid work; hired, especially permanently by inclusion on a payroll.

   The comedy revolves around a beauty salon owner and her newly employed male stylist.

2. applied or used; made use of.

   In the study, drilling with flashcards was the least frequently employed strategy for language learning.

3. kept busy or engaged with some work or activity.

   I never feel usefully employed in science except when I'm actually gathering data.

4. (of time, energies, etc.) occupied; devoted to some pursuit.

   Working on my quilt gave me many happily employed hours.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of employ.

Other Word Forms

• de-employed adjective
• well-employed adjective

Etymology

Origin of employed

First recorded in 1560–70; employ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; employ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Newell Brands employed approximately 23,700 people worldwide as of the end of last year, according to its most recent annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

From The Wall Street Journal

And by the end of the decade, more than a quarter of all women and half of all single women were employed.

From The Wall Street Journal

The strategy employed by Anthropic may be a glimpse into the future.

From Barron's

Families can require beneficiaries to stay sober, or employed, to benefit.

From The Wall Street Journal

He was no longer employed at the company as of Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• engaged
• hired
• occupied