employ
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
employ
n 1: the state of being employed or having a job; "they are
looking for employment"; "he was in the employ of the city"
[syn: {employment}, {employ}] [ant: {unemployment}]
v 1: put into service; make work or employ for a particular
purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your
head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't use 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},
{employ}]
2: engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in
the department"; "How many people has she employed?" [syn:
{hire}, {engage}, {employ}] [ant: {can}, {dismiss},
{displace}, {fire}, {force out}, {give notice}, {give the
axe}, {give the sack}, {sack}, {send away}, {terminate}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
Jonathan . . . and Jahaziah . . . were employed
about this matter. --Ezra x. 15.
[1913 Webster]
Thy vineyard must employ the sturdy steer
To turn the glebe. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
{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}.
[1913 Webster]
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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
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