Employ

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Employ \Em*ploy"\, n. [Cf. F. emploi.]
     That which engages or occupies a person; fixed or regular
     service or business; employment.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           The whole employ of body and of mind.    --Pope.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {In one's employ}, in one's service.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  employ
       n : the state of being employed or having a job; "they are
           looking for employment"; "he was in the employ of the
           city" [syn: {employment}] [ant: {unemployment}]
       v 1: put into service; make work or employ (something) for a
            particular purpose or for its inherent or natural
            purpose; "use your head!"; "we only use Spanish at
            home"; "I can't make use of this tool"; "Apply a
            magnetic field here"; "This thinking was applied to many
            projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?"; "I apply
            this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic bags to
            store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a computer"
            [syn: {use}, {utilize}, {utilise}, {apply}]
       2: engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in
          the department"; "How many people has she employed?" [syn:
           {hire}, {engage}] [ant: {fire}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  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