employ
verb (used with object)
to hire or engage the services of (a person or persons); provide employment for; have or keep in one's service.
was employing
-
past progressiveof employ.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The cow was always earmarked to be processed as beef, so Lee said the art collective was employing an extreme way to offer people a chance to change course ahead of time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
Powell recalled how his mother was intent on testifying before Congress to clear her name and shine a light on the bullying tactics that the government was employing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2025
When 24-time major champion Djokovic announced in November he was employing the recently retired Murray as his new coach, it felt like a prank.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2025
He was employing Lake at his private company at the time, he said, and they’d had “many conversations where I was looking out for her financial interests.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2024
Of course, one has to allow that Mr Harry Smith was employing the word 'dignity7 in a quite different sense altogether from my own understanding of it.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
