employ
Americanverb (used with object)
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employs,
present (3rd person singular)
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employed,
past participle, past
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employing
present participle
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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
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employs
plural
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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overemployverb (used with object)
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preemployverb (used with object)
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reemployverb (used with object)
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employableadjective
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nonemployingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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employsimple
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employssimple
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have employedperfect
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has employedperfect
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am employingprogressive
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are employingprogressive
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is employingprogressive
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have been employingperfect progressive
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has been employingperfect progressive
Past
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employedsimple
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had employedperfect
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was employingprogressive
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were employingprogressive
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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
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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.
See Examples For:
While many commissioners supported the idea, commission staff said the benchmark was too stringent to employ without understanding how the new sand placement will fare over the next few months or years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The largest data center building sites employ thousands of construction workers for years, though the facilities employ far fewer people once they are up and operating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Service-oriented companies employ most Americans and represent a much bigger share of the economy than manufacturers.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Healey added that Labour was still committed to the ambition, but hinted the plan to equalise wages might be delayed, partly to encourage businesses to employ younger workers.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
Knowledge of writing was confined to professional scribes in the employ of the king or temple.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
The dispute reflects longstanding tensions in an industry that employs more than four million people but has been dogged by complaints over pay, working conditions and labour rights.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
The company specializes in information on companies in financial distress and employs journalists as well as financial and legal analysts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
In the title of his 1997 bestselling adventure tale, “Into Thin Air,” mountaineer and writer Jon Krakauer employs a double entendre so clever that its effect is extraordinary.
From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026
"I'm concerned for my guys' safety," said Pjetri, who employs seven people.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
"Rose Johnson is a teacher here," she informs Dr. Williams, as if he doesn't know the school employs Shanti's other grandmother.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
The company’s current CEO, David Joyner, announced the breakup with the same cocksure swagger his predecessor had employed in promoting his big idea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
My new co-workers were newspaper veterans, led by our editor in chief, David Talbot, and until recently employed by the city’s now extinct evening newspaper.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
In recent games, Kovac has employed Bellingham in a more advanced role, as one of the two number 10s behind the striker.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Secret police employed a total of 150,000 informants during these four decades, according to estimates from the state security archives, but records survive for only around a third of them.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
The German nurse whom Dad had employed was scornful.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
China and Germany last year, employing more than 100,000 workers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
In 2024, the maximum penalty for knowingly employing illegal workers rose from £15,000 to £60,000.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Sisley is now a globally recognized high-end skin-care, makeup and perfume brand, employing 5,000 people with 8,049 stores and outlets worldwide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Officials are not sure in all cases who is employing the foreign personnel.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
I wasn’t overly concerned in the beginning—nor were Dennis and Jack, for that matter—that I was employing my own life as material for my alter identity.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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