Employto hire a person for work, or to use something for a purpose is a word with two main meanings. It can mean to hireto give someone a job and pay them for their work someone for a job, or to use something for a purpose. It is also used as a noun in the phrase in the employ of, meaning being employed by someone or an organizationa group of people working together for a shared goal.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ɛmˈplɔɪ/
Easy pronunciation: em-PLOY (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the second syllable: PLOY.
Verb meaning to hire someone to do work.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Employ Meaning
to give someone a job and pay them for it
Part of speech: verb
Definition: to hire someone to do work
Example: The company employed three new engineers this year.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- hire — A direct substitute when the meaning is to give someone a job.
- engage — Works in formal or business contexts, but is less common in everyday speech.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Employ
Meaning 2
having a job or being in paid work
Part of speech: noun
Definition: the state of being employed or having a job
Example: He is looking for employment after graduating.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- employment — The standard noun for having a job.
Meaning 3
to use something or put it to work
Part of speech: verb
Definition: to use something for a particular purpose
Example: The teacher employed a simple chart to explain the process.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- apply — Works when you mean to use a method, rule, or tool.
- use — A broad, natural synonym for this sense.
- utilise — A more formal spelling, mainly used in British English.
- utilize — A more formal spelling, mainly used in American English.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Employ Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- hire
- engage
being employed or having a job
- employment
to use something for a purpose
- apply
- use
- utilise
- utilize
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not use employ to mean 'employment' in ordinary modern English; that sense is mostly found in set phrases like in the employ of.
- Do not confuse employ meaning 'hire' with employ meaning 'use'—they are different senses.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does employ mean?
Employ can mean to hire someone for a job, or to use something for a purpose. It can also be a noun meaning being employed, especially in the phrase in the employ of.
What is a simple synonym for employ?
For the hiring sense, a simple synonym is hire. For the 'use' sense, simple synonyms include use and apply.
Is employ a formal word?
It can sound a little formal, especially in the 'hire' sense and in phrases like in the employ of.
What is the noun form of employ?
The related noun is employment.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-20. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.