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]
Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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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
Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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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.
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.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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