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definitions

enjoy

[en-joi]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to experience with joy; take pleasure in: He enjoys Chinese food.
  2. to have and use with satisfaction; have the benefit of: He enjoys an excellent income from his trust funds.
  3. to find or experience pleasure for (oneself): She seems to enjoy herself at everything she does.
  4. to undergo (an improvement): Automobile manufacturers have enjoyed a six-percent rise in sales over the past month.
  5. to have intercourse with.

Origin of enjoy

1350–1400; Middle English enjoyen to make joyful < Old French enjoier to give joy to. See en-1, joy
Related formsen·joy·er, nounen·joy·ing·ly, adverbpre·en·joy, verb (used with object)re·en·joy, verb (used with object)un·en·joyed, adjectiveun·en·joy·ing, adjectiveun·en·joy·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for enjoy

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1. appreciate, fancy, relish, savor. 2. possess, own.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for enjoy

love, like, savor, appreciate, relish, use, own, boast, experience, maintain, have, retain, hold, go, adore, dig, mind, fancy, process, occupy

Examples from the Web for enjoy

Contemporary Examples of enjoy

Historical Examples of enjoy

British Dictionary definitions for enjoy

enjoy

verb (tr)
  1. to receive pleasure from; take joy in
  2. to have the benefit of; use with satisfaction
  3. to have as a condition; experiencethe land enjoyed a summer of rain
  4. archaic to have sexual intercourse with
  5. 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper