| Employ 1. (v. t.) To enclose; to enfold. 2. (v. t.) 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. 3. (v. t.) To occupy; as, to employ time in study. 4. (v. t.) To have or keep at work; to give employment or occupation to; to entrust with some duty or behest; as, to employ a hundred workmen; to employ an envoy. 5. (n.) That which engages or occupies a person; fixed or regular service or business; employment. Thesaurus Entries 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 |