employ
verb
, em-\
Definition of employ
(Entry 1 of 2)
employ
noun
, ˈim-ˌplȯi, ˈem-ˌplȯi
\
Definition of employ (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for employ
Synonyms: Verb
assume, engage, fee [chiefly Scottish], hire, lay on [chiefly British], pay, place, recruit, retain, sign (up or on), take on
Synonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Verb
ax (or axe), can, discharge, dismiss, fire, sack
Antonyms: Noun
joblessness, nonemployment, unemployment
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Examples of employ in a Sentence
Verb
The company is accused of employing questionable methods to obtain the contract. You should find better ways to employ your time. I had to employ a lawyer to review the contract. It's a small company, employing a staff of only 20.Noun
while you're under our employ, you can't do outside work for our competitors
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Forever 21 might not be able to afford to employ the influential superstar — or to deal with her lawsuit. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "Ariana Grande suing Forever 21 for $10 million for using look-alike model and copying music video," 4 Sep. 2019 Name value helps win ratings, and WWE’s plan is to employ its varied pieces to establish dominance in the Wednesday ratings battle. — Justin Barrasso, SI.com, "Chris Jericho Becomes All Elite Wrestling's First-Ever World Champion: All Out Takeaways," 1 Sep. 2019 Neurons probed in this way proved electrically active, so the researchers went on to employ arrays of electrodes inserted simultaneously into different parts of an organoid to study its overall activity. — The Economist, "Cerebral organoids are becoming more brainlike," 29 Aug. 2019 During that time, Le Tote expects to keep the stores open and will continue to employ most of Lord & Taylor's staff. — Chris Isidore, CNN, "Iconic but troubled Lord & Taylor sold to clothing rental subscription company Le Tote," 28 Aug. 2019 Rather than move Fernandez to the wing, the Timbers could opt to employ a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield in certain games going forward. — Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive.com, "Portland Timbers forward Brian Fernandez unlikely to move to the wing," 28 Aug. 2019 With the hire of Fiona Mcilwham, a former British ambassador to Albania, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, became the first royals to employ an all-female team of senior staff. — Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, "These Are All the People Who Work for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle," 22 Aug. 2019 The lowercase default allows the writer to employ capital letters for accentuation or sarcasm. — Dan Kopf, Quartzy, "The rise of all-lowercase and all-uppercase song titles," 21 Aug. 2019 In the farms around Meru, farmers like Kathure have to employ guards armed with poison arrows, machetes, and other weapons, to protect their plants. — Jillian Keenan, Time, "'I Need the Money But I Feel Guilt.' How a Drought-Resistant Crop Turned Women in Kenya into Reluctant Drug Lords," 20 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The Johnson Publishing Company archives will present scholars with new opportunities to explore the creative processes of the Ebony and Jet editorial staffs, as well as the crafts of the photographers in their employ. — Syreeta Mcfadden, The Atlantic, "Why Ebony Magazine’s Archives Were Saved," 31 July 2019 This is where powerhouse midfielder Michael Essien comes into it - get him into your employ, get him on the plane to Vitesse Arnhem, and it'll be settled by the end of the day. — SI.com, "6 Other Chelsea Old Boys the Blues Should Definitely Hire for Off-Field Roles," 28 June 2019 Now in the employ of the Brooklyn Nets, Durant could miss the entire upcoming season. — Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "NBA M*A*S*H: Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant check in from rehab," 19 July 2019 With technology, the Newbys employ about 13 people in their farming business, and the crops are hi-tech. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al.com, "Cotton, once king in Alabama, still rules on these family farms," 14 July 2019 This was the conservative disposition at its best, in the employ of the Labour Party. — R.c., The Economist, "How conservatives—on the left and on the right—can defeat the populists," 9 July 2019 Point is, the new owner has smart hockey people in his employ. — Mark Faller, azcentral, "A to-do list for the Arizona Coyotes' new owner Alex Meruelo," 19 June 2019 However, a lack of financial resources forced him to seek the employ of the United States Navy. — orlandosentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 6/6," 5 June 2019 With the player now under their employ, their chances of finally clearing that hurdle have increased significantly. — SI.com, "Cristiano Ronaldo's Agent Jorge Mendes Says Juventus Will Be the Player's Last Club," 11 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'employ.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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