Synonyms of employ

employ 1 of 2

verb

im-ˈplȯi 

1

as in to hire

to provide with a paying job

a new factory that will employ 500 people

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hire
• recruit
• engage
• retain
• pay
• enlist
• place
• assume
• sign (up or on)
• fee
• take on
• lay on
• job
• partner
• promote
• reemploy
• rehire
• subcontract
• reengage
• upgrade
• contract
• keep (on)
• apprentice
• advance
• headhunt
• scout

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• can
• dismiss
• sack
• ax
• fire
• discharge
• lay off
• lock out
• furlough

2

as in to use

to put into action or service

looking for a job in which she can employ her considerable writing skills

Synonyms & Similar Words

• use
• utilize
• apply
• exploit
• operate
• harness
• exercise
• draw on
• make use of
• wield
• handle
• manipulate
• bring to bear
• work
• direct
• run
• recycle
• reuse
• cannibalize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignore
• neglect
• misuse
• misapply

employ

2 of 2

noun

im-ˈplȯi 

as in employment

the state of being provided with a paying job

while you're under our employ, you can't do outside work for our competitors

Synonyms & Similar Words

• employment
• hire
• work
• tenure
• assignment
• engagement
• position
• appointment
• recruitment
• occupation
• situation
• conscription
• enlistment
• post
• place
• incumbency

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• removal
• unemployment
• firing
• discharge
• dismissal
• boot
• sack
• suspension
• severance
• leave
• nonemployment
• retirement
• joblessness
• liberty
• furlough
• layoff
• demotion

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb employ contrast with its synonyms?

The words use and utilize are common synonyms of employ. While all three words mean "to put into service especially to attain an end," 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

Where would use be a reasonable alternative to employ?

Although the words use and employ have much in common, use implies availing oneself of something as a means or instrument to an end.

willing to use any means to achieve her ends

When is it sensible to use utilize instead of employ?

While the synonyms utilize and employ are close in meaning, utilize may suggest the discovery of a new, profitable, or practical use for something.

an old wooden bucket utilized as a planter

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of employ

Verb

Later, as Ripa stepped off to the side, her husband faced Shevchenko, who attempted to teach him a few moves she's employed en route to becoming a UFC champion. —Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025

Johnson has been employed by the Fort Worth department since 2021. —Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2025

Noun

Naturally, the theft of the ghost shirt by the stooges in the employ of Roy Lee is accompanied by many deceased bodies — the first of the many bloodbaths in Americana, which has a distressingly expedient approach to on-screen carnage. —Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025

Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes were lucky enough to have a generational talent in their employ over the last couple of seasons, but now, Travis Hunter has departed for the NFL, leaving a gaping hole for Colorado on both sides of the ball. —Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025