enjoy
[ en-joi ]
/ ɛnˈdʒɔɪ /
verb (used with object)
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.
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Nearby words
enisle, eniwetok, enjambment, enjoin, enjoinder, enjoy, enjoyable, enjoyment, enkephalin, enkephalinergic, enki
Origin of enjoy
SYNONYMS FOR enjoy
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for enjoy
British Dictionary definitions for enjoy
enjoy
/ (ɪnˈdʒɔɪ) /
verb (tr)
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
Derived Formsenjoyable, adjectiveenjoyableness, nounenjoyably, adverbenjoyer, noun
Word Origin for enjoy
C14: from Old French enjoir, from en- 1 + joir to find pleasure in, from Latin gaudēre to rejoice
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for enjoy
enjoy
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper