Employ \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.
[1913 Webster]
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.
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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.
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Jonathan . . . and Jahaziah . . . were employed
about this matter. --Ezra x. 15.
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Thy vineyard must employ the sturdy steer
To turn the glebe. --Dryden.
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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.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Employ \Em*ploy"\, n. [Cf. F. emploi.]
That which engages or occupies a person; fixed or regular
service or business; employment.
[1913 Webster]
The whole employ of body and of mind. --Pope.
[1913 Webster]
In one's employ, in one's service.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
employ
n : the state of being employed or having a job; "they are
looking for employment"; "he was in the employ of the
city" [syn: employment] [ant: unemployment]
v 1: 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"
[syn: use, utilize, utilise, apply]
2: engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in
the department"; "How many people has she employed?" [syn:
hire, engage] [ant: fire]
WordNet (r) 2.0
126 Moby Thesaurus words for "employ":
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
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
apply, employment, engage, hire, use, utilise, utilize
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