EMPLOY


Meaning of EMPLOY in English

I. em ‧ ploy 1 S3 W2 /ɪmˈplɔɪ/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ employee , ↑ employer , ↑ employment ≠ ↑ unemployment , ↑ unemployed , ↑ employ ; adjective : employed ≠ ↑ unemployed , ↑ employable ≠ ↑ unemployable ; verb : ↑ employ ]

[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: French ; Origin: emploier 'to use' , from Latin implicare ; ⇨ ↑ implicate ]

1 . to pay someone to work for you:

The factory employs over 2,000 people.

employ somebody as something

Kelly is employed as a mechanic.

employ somebody to do something

We have been employed to look at ways of reducing waste.

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In everyday English, people usually say give someone a job rather than employ someone, and have a job rather than be employed :

They gave him a job delivering furniture.

He has a job at the factory.

2 . to use a particular object, method, skill etc in order to achieve something

employ a method/technique/tactic etc

The report examines teaching methods employed in the classroom.

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In everyday English, people usually say use a method rather than employ a method.

3 . [usually passive] formal to spend your time doing a particular thing

be employed in (doing) something

Her days are employed in gardening and voluntary work.

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THESAURUS

▪ use :

Do you mind if I use your phone?

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They rebuilt the church using local stone.

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We use a range of different methods.

▪ make use of something to use something that is available to you:

Staff can make use of a wide range of facilities.

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She made full use of her contacts within the organization.

▪ employ formal to use a particular method or skill in order to achieve something:

The surgeons employed a new technique.

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They employed every means at their disposal (=every available method) .

▪ utilize formal to use something that is available to you, for a practical purpose:

The company has developed a new way to utilize solar energy.

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a better way of utilizing the space

▪ exploit to use something as fully and effectively as possible, or to use something that will give you an advantage over your opponent:

The country’s natural resources have not yet been fully exploited.

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He was quick to exploit any weakness in his opponent’s argument.

▪ apply to use something such as a method, idea, or system in a particular situation:

New technology is being applied to almost every industrial process.

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I wanted to apply the things that I had learned on the course.

▪ draw on something to use information, knowledge, or experience that you have learned in the past:

He was able to draw on his own experience as a diplomat when he was writing the book.

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Journalists draw on information from many different sources.

▪ resort to something to use violence, force, threats etc as a way of achieving something:

Extremists on both sides resort to violence.

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We are prepared to resort to force if necessary.

II. employ 2 BrE AmE noun

[ Word Family: noun : ↑ employee , ↑ employer , ↑ employment ≠ ↑ unemployment , ↑ unemployed , ↑ employ ; adjective : employed ≠ ↑ unemployed , ↑ employable ≠ ↑ unemployable ; verb : ↑ employ ]

in sb’s employ old-fashioned working for someone:

He had a number of servants in his employ.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.