Employ Meaning
/ɪmˈplɔɪ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo retain (someone) as an employee.
verbTo provide (someone) with a new job; to hire.
Sentence Examples
You must employ your capital well.
We will employ a man who can speak English.
How many people does the company employ?
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The factory will ____ fifty new workers next month.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company plans to ____ more staff for the new project.
Word Origin & History
From late Middle English emploien, imploien, emplien (“to apply to a specific purpose”), from Anglo-Norman emploier, Old French emploiier (“to entangle, fabricate, to make use of”), ultimately from Latin implicāre (“to infold, entangle, involve, engage”), from in- (“in”) + plicāre (“to fold”). Doublet of imply and implicate.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Charles had not been employed above six months at Darracott Place, but he was not such a whopstraw as to make the least noise in the performance of his duties when his lordship was out of humour."
— 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
"The site—which was established in its current form in 2009—employs 60 people and says it gets 12 million visitors a month."
— 2012 May 24, Farhad Manjoo, “BOMBSHELL: Business Insider Kinda Brilliant”, in Slate, archived from the original on 05 Jun 2023:
"The management, who were close personal friends, had just employed a new chef."
— 2004, Jay Rayner, The Apologist, London: Atlantic Books, →ISBN, page 54:
"Valiant Othello, we muſt straight employ you, / Againſt the generall Enemy Ottoman."
— c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 313, column 1:
"This is a day in which the thoughts[…]ought to be employed on serious subjects."
— 1715 April 9 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “The Free-holder: No. 29. Tuesday, March 30. [1715.]”, in The Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison, Esq; […], volume IV, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], published 1721, →OCLC:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The factory will ____ fifty new workers next month.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company plans to ____ more staff for the new project.