enjoy
- to experience with joy; take pleasure in: He enjoys Chinese food.
- to have and use with satisfaction; have the benefit of: He enjoys an excellent income from his trust funds.
- to find or experience pleasure for (oneself): She seems to enjoy herself at everything she does.
- to undergo (an improvement): Automobile manufacturers have enjoyed a six-percent rise in sales over the past month.
- to have intercourse with.
Origin of enjoy
Synonyms
See more synonyms for enjoy on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for enjoy
Contemporary Examples
Either way, guests seeking a holiday getaway there can also enjoy a tingle of telling truth to power by posting their own reviews.
You may just enjoy the rich, smooth fruit of their labor that little bit more.
When It Comes to Great Whisky, The Size of Your Still MattersDecember 9, 2014
Mary Soames is an exception to the rule that gilded offspring endure life rather than enjoy it.
Churchill’s Secret Treasures for Sale: A British PM’s Life on the Auction BlockTom Teodorczuk
December 8, 2014
The lads can enjoy a good pop shot, but should a woman come, all hell breaks loose.
The UK’s War on Porn: ‘Proof That Men Making These Rules Do Not See Women as Equals’Aurora Snow
December 6, 2014
Dr. Rohan recommends finding substitutes for the mood-enhancing activities you enjoy in the summer.
Historical Examples
But does the woman who sells herself to but one enjoy life any more?
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
They did their work, they left us the splendid heritage we now enjoy.
"Be sovereign of Greece, and then enjoy ourselves," said the king.
It was all very well for those two to enjoy her flowers; of course they would.
Ester Ried Yet SpeakingIsabella Alden
They are not any the less mine because I am letting other people have a chance to enjoy them.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
enjoy
- to receive pleasure from; take joy in
- to have the benefit of; use with satisfaction
- to have as a condition; experiencethe land enjoyed a summer of rain
- archaic to have sexual intercourse with
- enjoy oneself to have a good time
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for enjoy
v.
late 14c., "rejoice, be glad" (intransitive), from Old French enjoir "to give joy, rejoice, take delight in," from en- "make" (see en- (1)) + joir "enjoy," from Latin gaudere "rejoice" (see joy); Sense of "have the use or benefit of" first recorded early 15c. (replacing Old English brucan; see brook (v.)).
Meaning "take pleasure in" is mid-15c. In modern use it has a tendency to lose its connection with pleasure: newspaper photo captions say someone enjoys an ice cream cone, etc., when all she is doing is eating it, and Wright's "English Dialect Dictionary" (1900) reports widespread use in north and west England of the phrase to enjoy bad health for one who has ailments. Related: Enjoyed; enjoying; enjoys.