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employ

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noun

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

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.
Recent Examples of employ
Verb
The center, which will be built on a 1,178 acre plot, will employ 300 people and comes as data center projects have gained traction across the state. Arkansas Online, 5 Sep. 2025 The company employs 53,000 workers worldwide. Alexander Coolidge, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
Lowe’s employs about 300,000 people, mostly hourly. Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2025 One of the key technologies the firm employs is Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs), a cutting-edge building material that offers double insulation, airtight performance, and much more energy savings compared to traditional framing. Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 19 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for employ
Recent Examples of Synonyms for employ
Verb
  • Hit Man Based on an outrageous true story, Richard Linklater's 2024 action rom-com sees Glen Powell donning the many disguises of Gary Johnson, a New Orleans Police Department contractor who poses as a hitman to arrest those trying to hire him.
    Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Coleman was recruited to Arizona by Fisch and transferred to Washington when the coach was hired in Seattle.
    Joe Davidosn, Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Russian media reports suggested that Putin stopped using the residence from 2024 amid intensifying Ukrainian drone attacks.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Wash dirty hands before using a touchscreen or laptop keyboard.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Over 741,000 Nepalis left the country in the fiscal year 2023-24 to find employment, according to the Post.
    Juliana Kim, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
  • European policymakers were fully aware of the reorganization and job losses at Volkswagen, Luman said, amid broader concerns that falling employment in Germany’s historic car industry could put even more positions at risk.
    Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Many companies, especially those with structured training programs, begin recruiting in the fall for spring graduates.
    Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Building an election team The Jackson County and Kansas City Election Boards previously said that recruiting enough poll workers ahead of the special election may be a difficult task.
    Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Firefighters on the ground continued to reinforce lines previously built over the past week, utilizing strategic firing to fill in unburned areas from Fence Meadow Lookout to Nutmeg Saddle.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Ohio State will have to find a way to spy Navarro and also mix some complicated coverages in the secondary, but also utilize the defensive line to keep Navarro in the pocket when passing plays break down.
    Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • She was previously engaged to commercial public relations executive John Dineen, who died from a rare form of cancer in December 2015.
    Ariana Quihuiz, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Instead of growing a virus and weakening it to allow the body to engage its natural defenses, mRNA vaccines use pieces of genetic code to manufacture a protein, a piece of the virus.
    Joey Garrison, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • With this certification program, employees can take short learning breaks and access ready-to-apply AI content on demand, instantly increasing their AI acumen.
    Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The other end of the spectrum are breaks that happen when a single application of force is applied to the bone.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Jeffrey Breinholt, an architect of the material support statutes who spent three decades as a federal terrorism prosecutor, defends the laws as crucial to closing loopholes that were exploited by foreign militant groups and their domestic sympathizers.
    Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Her 23-year-old son, Rahjah Ke’ Morton, recently accused her of exploiting his past cancer diagnosis for personal gain.
    Essence, Essence, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Employ.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/employ. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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