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Meaning of EMPLOY

Pronunciation:  em'ploy

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. [n]  the state of being employed or having a job; "they are looking for employment"; "he was in the employ of the city"
  2. [v]  put into service; make work or employ (something) for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't make use of this tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer"
  3. [v]  engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in the department"; "How many people has she employed?"
 
 Websites: 
 
 Synonyms: apply, employment, engage, hire, use, utilise, utilize
 
 Antonyms: can, dismiss, fire, force out, give notice, give the axe, sack, send away, terminate, unemployment
 
 See Also: address, assign, avail, cannibalise, cannibalize, commit, consecrate, contract, dedicate, devote, enjoy, exercise, exert, exploit, extend, fall back, farm out, featherbed, fee, fill, give, go for, hold, implement, job, misapply, misuse, overdrive, overuse, play, ply, pull out all the stops, put, put to work, rat, recur, recycle, reprocess, resort, retain, reuse, share, ship, sign, sign on, sign up, state, strain, subcontract, take, tap, waste, work

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. \Em*ploy"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Employed}; p. pr. & vb.
    n. {Employing}.] [F. employer, fr. L. implicare to fold into,
    infold, involve, implicate, engage; in + plicare to fold. See
    {Ply}, and cf. {Imply}, {Implicate}.]
    1. To inclose; to infold. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
    2. To use; to have in service; to cause to be engaged in
       doing something; -- often followed by in, about, on, or
       upon, and sometimes by to; as:
       (a) To make use of, as an instrument, a means, a material,
           etc., for a specific purpose; to apply; as, to employ
           the pen in writing, bricks in building, words and
           phrases in speaking; to employ the mind; to employ
           one's energies.
                 This is a day in which the thoughts . . . ought
                 to be employed on serious subjects. --Addison.
       (b) To occupy; as, to employ time in study.
       (c) To have or keep at work; to give employment or
           occupation to; to intrust with some duty or behest;
           as, to employ a hundred workmen; to employ an envoy.
                 Jonathan . . . and Jahaziah . . . were employed
                 about this matter.                --Ezra x. 15.
                 Thy vineyard must employ the sturdy steer To
                 turn the glebe.                   --Dryden.
    {To employ one's self}, to apply or devote one's time and
       attention; to busy one's self.
    Syn: To use; busy; apply; exercise; occupy; engross; engage.
         See {Use}.
    
  2. \Em*ploy"\, n. [Cf. F. emploi.]
    That which engages or occupies a person; fixed or regular
    service or business; employment.
          The whole employ of body and of mind.    --Pope.
    {In one's employ}, in one's service.
    
 
Thesaurus Terms
 
 Related Terms: active use, activities, activity, add, affair, affairs, appliance, application, apply, attend to business, attendance, avail, bag, bespeak, bestow, book, brief, business, busy, carry on, commerce, commission, concern, concernment, conduct, consecrate to, consume, consumption, contract for, dedicate to, devote, do, do with, employment, engage, engage in, engross, enlist, enterprise, exercise, exert, exertion, expend, exploit, follow, function, give over to, give to, go in for, good use, handle, hard usage, hard use, hire, ill use, interest, involve, labor, lookout, make use of, manage, manipulate, matter, mind the store, ministration, ministry, misuse, monopolize, obtain, occupation, occupy, operate, pass, pass the time, peonage, play, ply, practice, preengage, procure, prosecute, pursue, put forth, put in, put on, put out, recruit, reserve, retain, rough usage, secure, serfdom, service, servitium, servitorship, servitude, sign, sign on, sign up, sign up for, slavery, specialize in, spend, spend the time, tackle, take into employment, take on, take to, take up, tendance, thing, undertake, undertaking, usage, use, use up, using up, utilize, wage, while, while away, wield, wile, work, work at, wrong use
 

 

 

 

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