Definitions for employ
ɛmˈplɔɪem·ploy

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. employment, employverb

   the state of being employed or having a job

   "they are looking for employment"; "he was in the employ of the city"

2. use, utilize, utilise, apply, employverb

   put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose

   "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't use this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer"

3. hire, engage, employverb

   engage or hire for work

   "They hired two new secretaries in the department"; "How many people has she employed?"

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. employnoun

   The state of being an employee; employment.

   The school district has six thousand teachers in its employ.

2. employverb

   To give someone work or a job.

3. employverb

   To put something into use or service; to make use of.

   How do you employ your spare time?

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Employnoun

   Etymology: from the verb.

   1. Business; object of industry.

   Present to grasp, and future still to find,
   The whole employ of body and of mind. Alexander Pope, Ess. on Man.

   2. Publick office.

   Lest animosities should obstruct the course of justice, if one of their own number had the distribution of it, they have always a foreigner for this employ. Joseph Addison, Remarks on Italy.

   The honours and the burdens of great posts and employs were joined together. Francis Atterbury, Sermons.

2. To EMPLOYverb

   Etymology: emploier, French.

   1. To busy; to keep at work; to exercise.

   For thrice, at least, in compass of the year,
   Thy vineyard must employ the sturdy steer
   To turn the glebe. John Dryden, Virgil’s Georg. b. ii. l. 551.

   Their principal learning was applied to the course of the stars, and the rest was employed in displaying the brave exploits of their princes. William Temple.

   Our reason is often puzzled, because of the imperfection of the ideas it is employed about. John Locke.

   The proper business of the understanding is not that which men always employ it to. John Locke.

   Labour in the beginning gave a right of property, whereever any one was pleased to employ it upon what was common. John Locke.

   The cat became a blushing maid;
   And, on the happy change, the boy
   Employ’d his wonder and his joy. Matthew Prior.

   This is a day in which the thoughts of our countrymen ought to be employed on serious subjects. Joseph Addison, Freeholder.

   2. To use as an instrument.

   The cleanly cheese-press she could never turn,
   Her aukward fist did ne’er employ the churn. John Gay, Pastorals.

   3. To use as means.

   The money was employed to the making of gallies. 2 Mac.

   Peace is not freed from labour, but from noise;
   And war more force, but not more pains employs. Dryden.

   4. To use as materials.

   The labour of those who felled and framed the timber employed about the plough, must be charged on labour. John Locke.

   5. To commission; to intrust with the management of any affairs.

   Jonathan and Jahaziah were employed about this matter. Ezra, x. 15.

   Jesus Christ is furnished with superior powers to the angels, because he is employed in superiour works, and appointed to be the sovereign Lord of all the visible and invisible worlds. Isaac Watts.

   6. To fill up with business.

   To study nature will thy time employ;
   Knowledge and innocence are perfect joy. Dryden.

   7. To pass or spend in business.

   Why, whilst we struggle in this vale beneath,
   With want and sorrow, with disease and death,
   Do they more bless’d perpetual life employ
   In songs of pleasure, and in scenes of joy? Matthew Prior.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. employ

   Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any other entity, pays the other, the employee, in return for carrying out assigned work. Employees work in return for wages, which can be paid on the basis of an hourly rate, by piecework or an annual salary, depending on the type of work an employee does, the prevailing conditions of the sector and the bargaining power between the parties. Employees in some sectors may receive gratuities, bonus payments or stock options. In some types of employment, employees may receive benefits in addition to payment. Benefits may include health insurance, housing, disability insurance. Employment is typically governed by employment laws, organisation or legal contracts.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. employ

   To engage the services or labor of someone for payment, or to put something into use or action.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:3.7 / 3 votes

1. Employverb

   to inclose; to infold

2. Employverb

   to use; to have in service; to cause to be engaged in doing something; -- often followed by in, about, on, or upon, and sometimes by to; as: (a) To make use of, as an instrument, a means, a material, etc., for a specific purpose; to apply; as, to employ the pen in writing, bricks in building, words and phrases in speaking; to employ the mind; to employ one's energies

3. Employverb

   to occupy; as, to employ time in study

4. Employverb

   to have or keep at work; to give employment or occupation to; to intrust with some duty or behest; as, to employ a hundred workmen; to employ an envoy

5. Employnoun

   that which engages or occupies a person; fixed or regular service or business; employment

6. Etymology: [Cf. F. emploi.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Employ

   em-ploy′, v.t. to occupy the time or attention of: to use as a means or agent: to give work to.—n. a poetical form of employment.—adj. Employ′able, that may be employed.—ns. Employ′é, one who is employed:—fem. Employ′ée; Employēē′, a person employed; Employ′er; Employ′ment, act of employing: that which engages or occupies: occupation. [Fr. employer—L. implicāre, to infold—in, in, and plicāre, to fold. Imply and implicate are parallel forms.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. employ

   To give employment to.

   They did employ people from every nationality.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on February 24, 2020  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Employ

   Employ vs. Deploy -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Employ and Deploy.

British National Corpus

1. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'employ' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3832

2. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'employ' in Verbs Frequency: #269

How to pronounce employ?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say employ in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of employ in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of employ in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of employ in a Sentence

1. Tom Hayes:

   Even at the point I was fired I didn't think much of it. I just thought 'I'll just get another job'. I had enough people who wanted to employ me.

2. Representatives Speaker John Boehner:

   We do have some members who disagree from time to time over the tactics that we decide to employ. But remember that Republicans are united in this idea that the president has far exceeded his constitutional authority.

3. Socrates:

   Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.

4. Randy Grossman:

   We're going to continue to employ the strategy that we've been employing, which is aggressive prosecutions and prevention, we are very focused on making sure that we deter crimes at the border, including the scourge of fentanyl trafficking that's killing our residents, as well as preventing deaths in our community by getting into the community through an abundance of outreach programs in partnership with our law enforcement agency partners.

5. Emmanuel Jengo:

   Our members do not employ children in mining operations. We support every effort that is directed towards correcting this misfortune and tribulation which is threatening the future of these children.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=employ
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Employ
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=employ
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employ
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/employ
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=employ