employverb
uk/ɪmˈplɔɪ/us/ɪmˈplɔɪ/employ verb (PROVIDE JOB)
B1 [ T ] to have someone work or do a job for you and pay them for it:
How many people does your company employ?
Can't we employ someone as an assistant to help with all this paperwork?
[ + to infinitive ] We've employed a market researcher to find out what people really want from a cable TV system.
More people are now employed in service industries than in manufacturing.
More examples
- We need to employ more supervisory staff.
- The firm employs several freelance editors.
- The number of people employed by the company has risen from 25 to 200 in three years.
- They've employed her for a six-month trial period.
- The problem with employing people who are overqualified for the job is that they often don't stay in it for long.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Applying for a job
- anoint
- applicant
- appoint
- appointed
- appointee
- appointment
- engage
- headhunt
- hiring
- intake
- job
- job centre
- job creation
- set sb up
- step into sth
- subcontract
- take sb on
- take sth on
- talent scout
- tender
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employ verb (USE)
C1 [ T ] formal to use something:
Sophisticated statistical analysis was employed to obtain these results.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Using and misusing
- adopt
- adoption
- advantage
- avail
- avail yourself of sth
- be/go heavy on sth idiom
- go through sth
- gobble sth up
- heavy
- make capital out of sth idiom
- max
- max sth out
- mine
- upcycle
- upcycling
- usable
- usage
- use
- use sth up
- wear
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employ verb (SPEND TIME)
be employed in doing sth formal
to spend time doing something:
He was busily employed in lacing up his shoes.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Spending time & time passing
- all the time in the world idiom
- Anno Domini
- course
- elapse
- fall
- fall away
- go by
- misspend
- pass
- passage
- passing
- run
- sand
- spread sth over sth
- the sands of time are running out idiom
- tick
- tick away/by
- time and tide wait for no man idiom
- time flies idiom
- while
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employnoun
uk/ɪmˈplɔɪ/us/ɪmˈplɔɪ/formalbe in sb's employ
to be working for someone
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Work, working and the workplace
- a long way to go idiom
- act as sth 1
- act as sth
- all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) idiom
- assignment
- cabin
- hoop
- hot desk
- hot-desking
- hotelling
- housekeeping
- in the line of duty idiom
- labour
- slouch
- spadework
- stroke
- sweat
- sweat over sth
- swing into action idiom
- temp
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