employ

verb

em·ploy | \im-ˈplȯi,

em-\

employed; employing; employs

Definition of employ

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

employ

noun

em·ploy | \im-ˈplȯi,

ˈim-ˌplȯi, ˈem-ˌplȯi

Definition of employ (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : use, purpose

b : occupation, job

2 : the state of being employed in the city's employ

Other Words from employ Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about employ

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Choose the Right Synonym for employ

Verb

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: Verb

Fouts, who probably knows that things will only get worse for the one NFL team that employed him, did play in L.A. — against the Raiders and Rams — and that’s it. — Nick Canepa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "King James’ arrival in L.A. puts Bolts further down line," 9 July 2018 The posting showed that Trump’s club wants to pay the workers a minimum of $12.68 an hour and to employ them from October to the end of May. At the end of that term, the workers would be expected to return home. — Washington Post, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club wants to hire 40 foreign workers," 6 July 2018 The posting showed that Trump’s club wants to pay the workers a minimum of $12.68 an hour and to employ them from October to the end of May. At the end of that term, the workers would be expected to return home. — James Hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump’s mockery of the #MeToo movement underscores the GOP’s problem with women in 2018," 6 July 2018 The information was posted late Thursday on the department's website: Trump's club has asked to hire 21 cooks from overseas and employ them from October to May. At the end of that term, the workers would be expected to return home. — David A. Fahrenthold, latimes.com, "Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida seeks to hire 61 foreign workers as seasonal cooks and waiters," 6 July 2018 Cook County’s suburbs also have been embroiled in the tension between the plight of low-wage workers and the demands on the businesses that employ them. — Alexia Elejalde-ruiz, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago's minimum wage is about to jump to $12 per hour. Who are the winners and the losers?," 29 June 2018 In short, the cheerleaders maintain that the Texans should have never hired someone like Gary or continued to employ her. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "NFL Teams Previously Have Settled in Cheerleader Lawsuits. Will Texans' Ex-Cheerleaders Set Different Precedent?," 25 June 2018 My work as the director of the Cornell Farmworker Program involves meeting with undocumented workers in New York, and the farmers who employ them. — Mary Jo Dudley, CBS News, "These U.S. industries can't work without illegal immigrants," 25 June 2018 On Monday, however, the justices, without comment, denied review of an appeal by Gelhaus and the county that had employed him as a deputy for 24 years. — Bob Egelko, SFChronicle.com, "Family of teen killed holding toy gun allowed to sue Sonoma deputy," 25 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The cruise industry gets knocked around for the long hours and often hectic conditions of the people in its employ. — Michael Ian Black, New York Times, "Cruises Are So Uncool They Are Cool," 3 July 2018 Beyond the broadcasters’ exit poll team of Curtice and Fisher, several other leading U.K. academics also worked for hedge funds—either directly or for the pollsters in their employ. — Cam Simpson, Bloomberg.com, "Brexit’s Big Short: How Pollsters Helped Hedge Funds Beat the Crash," 25 June 2018 Kawhi Leonard awoke Friday still under the employ of the Spurs, despite rumblings leading to Thursday’s draft the team might be compelled to deal its disillusioned superstar. — Jeff Mcdonald, San Antonio Express-News, "Spurs aim to hang onto Leonard — for now," 22 June 2018 Her whole employ was saying and doing outrageous things to get attention. — Lisa Gutierrez, kansascity, ""A teaching moment.' Valerie Jarrett and others respond to 'Roseanne' controversy," 29 May 2018 Among the people Moe and Polly Wiesen probably knew in those days were the Feinsteins, another prominent family in the garment industry, who had a domestic in their employ named Mary Ann Moroney. — The Washington Post, NOLA.com, "Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer long wondered if he's related to JFK; at 72, he learned the truth," 12 May 2018 But, there are many stupider things written by even smarter people who continue to keep their employs. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "The Supremacy of the Internet Mob," 19 Apr. 2018 Co-founder Mary Ann McCready had watched during her employ at CBS Records in the 1980s as numerous acts racked up huge paychecks, saved little and kept overspending even after their commercial peak years ended. — Tom Roland, Billboard, "Flood, Bumstead And the Country Artist's Conflict: Seeking Wealth While Singing About Poverty," 3 Apr. 2018 Trouble is, the therapist is under the employ of a hospital that has a vested interest in admitting patients for 72-hour holds and draining insurance money from them. — Richard Lawson, HWD, "Claire Foy Gives a Star Turn in Harrowing Unsane," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'employ.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.