employ

employ is one of the 1000 most common headwords.

else - employ - encourage

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ɪmˈplɔɪ/ or /ɛmˈplɔɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

Plain form employ

Third-person singular employs

Past tense employed

Past participle employed

Present participle employing

Employ is on the Academic Vocabulary List.

1. (transitive) If you employ someone, you pay them to do a job.

   The tanning company currently employs over 240 people in Caledonia.

   She had been employed by the hospital as a nurse for only four months.

2. (transitive) If you employ something, you use it.

   Various methods are employed to change the way it looks.

Synonyms

• hire
• engage

Antonyms

• fire

Related words

• employed
• employee
• employer
• employment
• employable
• unemployed
• unemployable
• unemployment

Noun

Singular employ

Plural employs

1. If you have someone in your employ, you are paying them to do a job.

Synonyms

• employment