Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Language: French
Origin: emploier 'to use', from Latin implicare; IMPLICATE

employ

1 verb
     
Related topics: Employment
em‧ploy1 S2 W2 [transitive]
1BE to pay someone to work for you:
The factory employs over 2000 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.
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.
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.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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