enjoy

[ en-joi ]
See synonyms for: enjoyenjoyedenjoyingenjoys on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. to find or experience pleasure for (oneself): She seems to enjoy herself at everything she does.

  2. to undergo (an improvement): Automobile manufacturers have enjoyed a six-percent rise in sales over the past month.

  3. to have intercourse with.

Origin of enjoy

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English enjoyen “to make joyful,” from Old French enjoier “to give joy to”; see en-1, joy

Other words for enjoy

Other words from enjoy

  • en·joy·er, noun
  • en·joy·ing·ly, adverb
  • pre·en·joy, verb (used with object)
  • re·en·joy, verb (used with object)
  • un·en·joyed, adjective
  • un·en·joy·ing, adjective
  • un·en·joy·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby enjoy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use enjoy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for enjoy

enjoy

/ (ɪnˈdʒɔɪ) /


verb(tr)
  1. to receive pleasure from; take joy in

  2. to have the benefit of; use with satisfaction

  1. to have as a condition; experience: the land enjoyed a summer of rain

  2. archaic to have sexual intercourse with

  3. enjoy oneself to have a good time

Origin of enjoy

1
C14: from Old French enjoir, from en- 1 + joir to find pleasure in, from Latin gaudēre to rejoice

Derived forms of enjoy

  • enjoyable, adjective
  • enjoyableness, noun
  • enjoyably, adverb
  • enjoyer, noun

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