employ 1 of 2

verb

im-ˈplȯi How to pronounce employ (audio)
Definition of employnext
1
as in to hire
to provide with a paying job a new factory that will employ 500 people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to use
to put into action or service looking for a job in which she can employ her considerable writing skills

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

employ

2 of 2

noun

im-ˈplȯi How to pronounce employ (audio)
as in employment
the state of being provided with a paying job while you're under our employ, you can't do outside work for our competitors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb employ contrast with its synonyms?

The words use and utilize are common synonyms of employ. While all three words mean "to put into service especially to attain an end," employ suggests the use of a person or thing that is available but idle, inactive, or disengaged.

looking for better ways to employ their skills

Where would use be a reasonable alternative to employ?

Although the words use and employ have much in common, use implies availing oneself of something as a means or instrument to an end.

willing to use any means to achieve her ends

When is it sensible to use utilize instead of employ?

While the synonyms utilize and employ are close in meaning, utilize may suggest the discovery of a new, profitable, or practical use for something.

an old wooden bucket utilized as a planter

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of employ
Verb
The Braves have employed numerous Hall of Fame pitchers throughout their existence. — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Foxconn had promised to open a manufacturing plant that would employ thirteen thousand workers. — Dan Kaufman, New Yorker, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
My main employ is on a property that was bought in the 1890s by a New York manufacturer and turned into a model farm with a mansion. — Matt Seaton, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026 The number of Haitians under John Knox Village’s employ may be small at 12, out of some 300 staff. — David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for employ
Recent Examples of Synonyms for employ
  1. hire
  2. use
  3. employment
  4. recruit
  5. utilize
  6. engage
  7. apply
  8. exploit
Verb
  • Dismissing the general manager who hired Espada doesn’t bode well, but Crane made a clear distinction between the two men during the aftermath.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Scott hired Luca Khouri, a Jamaican artist, to photograph the campaign at the end of March, which was styled by Marika-Ella Ames.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of hire
Verb
  • Researchers have developed a new vision algorithm that lets humanoid robots perceive depth more like humans, using two forward-facing eyes.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Earlier this month, The Financial Times appended a note to a guest column after readers questioned whether it was written using AI.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of use
Noun
  • In fact, the breakeven rate of employment growth, or the number of net new jobs needed each month to keep the unemployment rate steady, actually went slightly negative during the summer and fall of 2025.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The proposal is part of Gates’ broader warning that governments need to prepare now for dramatic changes to employment brought on by AI.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of employment
Verb
  • Serving as the territory’s secretary of education between 2013 and 2017, overseeing all of its public schools from kindergarten through high school, he was recruited to Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 as a teacher.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Somebody had to recruit before UCF was a recognizable national brand.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of recruit
Verb
  • Hall is one of the most explosive backs in the NFL, with the ability to make an impact as a pass catcher — something past offensive coordinators failed to utilize.
    — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Five new food carts will be open to all fans on the concourse at the north end, utilizing the new 37,000-square-foot open space that connects the east and west sides of the stadium.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of utilize
Verb
  • Green is currently engaged to Dancing With the Stars pro Sharna Burgess, and was previously married to Megan Fox.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Land facing uphill and one spine engages; land facing downhill and the other does the job without the need for a pilot to calculate the perfect approach angle.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of engage
Verb
  • The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning that applies to more than 1 million people in San Diego County, mostly across inland valleys, foothills and mountains where high temperatures will approach or exceed 95 to 114 degrees.
    — Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The study found the models understood concepts such as the Kelly criterion and Merton share in theory but struggled to apply appropriate risk management when making actual simulated trading decisions.
    — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of apply
Verb
  • Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have uncovered a new processor attack that can bypass defenses in Intel and AMD chips by exploiting a security gap lasting only a handful of instructions.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Other Surrealists, meanwhile, seemed to take from animals a license to exploit other (generally female) bodies, as in Clovis Trouille’sJustine(1937), in which both a naked female figure and a lion are bound and captive.
    — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of exploit

Browse Nearby Words

emplacing
employ
employable
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Cite this Entry

“Employ.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/employ. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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