Definition of EMPLOY (original) (raw)
1
a
: to make use of (someone or something inactive)
employ a pen for sketching
b
: to use (something, such as time) advantageously
a job that employed her skills
c(1)
: to use or engage the services of
(2)
: to provide with a job that pays wages or a salary
2
: to devote to or direct toward a particular activity or person
employed all her energies to help the poor
Synonyms of employ
Choose the Right Synonym for employ
use, employ, utilize mean to put into service especially to attain an end.
use implies availing oneself of something as a means or instrument to an end.
willing to use any means to achieve her ends
employ suggests the use of a person or thing that is available but idle, inactive, or disengaged.
looking for better ways to employ their skills
utilize may suggest the discovery of a new, profitable, or practical use for something.
an old wooden bucket utilized as a planter
Examples of employ in a Sentence
Verb
The company is accused of employing questionable methods to obtain the contract. You should find better ways to employ your time. I had to employ a lawyer to review the contract. It's a small company, employing a staff of only 20. Noun
while you're under our employ, you can't do outside work for our competitors
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Only a handful of people prepare orders from aisles of shelves in the 5,000- to 10,000-square-foot facilities, unlike the sprawling fulfillment centers storing millions of items where Amazon employs a mix of human workers and robotics to pick and pack orders. —
Anne D’innocenzio, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026 If available, employ your fog lights. —Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 12 May 2026
Calculating the interest-earning potential of a high-yield savings or money market account over the short term is relatively straightforward, since the variable rate each employs isn't likely to move dramatically in just a few months. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 1 May 2026 To make your space more flexible, employ folding bistro chairs as extra seating should unexpected guests join your backyard soiree. —Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 15 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for employ
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English emploien, emplien "to apply or devote (a thing to a purpose), apply (oneself) to a task, make use of, expend," borrowed from Anglo-French empleier, emploier, emplier "to entangle, fabricate, put to use, devote (oneself) to" (continental Middle French also "to make use of, apply, occupy [time], expend [money], use the services of [a person]"), going back to Latin implicāre "to fold about itself, entwine, entangle, involve, embroil" — more at implicate
Note: This verb does not appear in Middle English before the fifteenth century, and the predominance of the form with -oi-, retained in early Modern English, most likely reflects ongoing influence of continental French. — Latin implicāre gave rise to a verb meaning "to use, make use of" in Gallo-Romance (Old Occitan emplegar in addition to French empleier), Italian (impiegare) and Catalan (emplegar). Spanish emplear is an early borrowing from Old French. Compare imply.
Noun
borrowed from French emploi, going back to Middle French, "use, service," noun derivative of emploier "to put to use, employ entry 1"
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1679, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of employ was in the 15th century
Browse Nearby Words
Cite this Entry
“Employ.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/employ. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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