employ 1 of 2

Definition of employnext

employ

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noun

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

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
Montoya confirmed Grado and Mahoney are no longer employed by the city. Katie Langford, Denver Post, 4 Apr. 2026 The Centenario employs the Ducati Racing Gearbox, in which the neutral sits below the first gear rather than in between first and second. New Atlas, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
Whatever strategies right-wingers employ in the 2028 Presidential primaries might first be tested in this runoff. Ian Crouch, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026 Driven out of the family mansion, mother and child relocate to the less auspicious Belleville, New Jersey — one of the film’s few genuinely funny touches — where Mary whiles away her days in the employ of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for employ
Recent Examples of Synonyms for employ
Verb
  • The relationship healed after Howard was hired as Michigan’s basketball coach in 2019.
    Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
  • The invader is a skillful art restorer, Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who’s been hired by Julian’s greedy children, Barnaby (James Corden) and Sallie (Jessica Gunning), to work, or pose, as their father’s new assistant.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Building and construction unions no longer can use their old rhetorical cudgel in this debate — calling prefab homes flimsy and unsafe.
    U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
  • Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Those items are related to policies that deal with board members’ duties and requirements, meeting rules, and employment practices related to at-will employment, and employee assignments and schedules.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
  • How a childhood experience shaped Lucas' views As a child growing up in Ohio, Lucas experienced a series of events that would shape her views on employment and civil rights.
    Andrea Hsu, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Cantens, who has coaching experience in Germany and the Dominican Republic, has had success recruiting internationally.
    Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Dintaman and Nolan then recruited Johnson to pose as the victim in person at the state's Department of Treasury's Unclaimed Property Office to get a second copy of the check.
    Nick Lentz, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • This season, the Royals have utilized Falter in a different role.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2026
  • The gadget works by utilizing a blue-violet light to attract insects, which are then zapped by a 4200-volt electric grid on contact.
    Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • And one of our main missions is to engage that community and mobilize them as a voting block.
    Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 3 Apr. 2026
  • The summit will explore how the two worlds connect – from adapting digital IP into cinematic projects and scouting emerging talent, to engaging audiences that drive communities to theaters and exploring innovative marketing strategies.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Financially Distressed City Law allows home-rule municipalities in the top 5% of tax rates and the bottom 5% of tax income per capita to apply for fiscal relief via a state takeover of finances.
    Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The change will not apply to customers who bought tickets before Friday, April 3, the airline said.
    Jordan Freiman, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • With key Pistons defenders like Ausar Thompson (ankle), Cade Cunningham (lung), and Isaiah Stewart (calf) sidelined or doubtful, Gilgeous-Alexander has a prime opportunity to exploit the matchup.
    Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
  • This property is driven by a phenomenon known as plasmonics, where light interacting with a material generates collective oscillations of electrons, producing highly localized electromagnetic fields that can be exploited in technologies such as sensing, catalysis, and energy harvesting.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Employ.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/employ. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

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