EMPLOY Synonyms: 87 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'employ' contrast with its synonyms?

The words use and utilize are common synonyms of employ . While all three words mean "to put into service especially to attain an end," employ suggests the use of a person or thing that is available but idle, inactive, or disengaged. // looking for better ways to employ their skills

Q: Where would 'use' be a reasonable alternative to 'employ'?

Although the words use and employ have much in common, use implies availing oneself of something as a means or instrument to an end. // willing to use any means to achieve her ends

Q: When is it sensible to use 'utilize' instead of 'employ'?

While the synonyms utilize and employ are close in meaning, utilize may suggest the discovery of a new, profitable, or practical use for something. // an old wooden bucket utilized as a planter

employ 1 of 2

verb

im-ˈplȯi

Definition of employ next

as in to hire

to provide with a paying job a new factory that will employ 500 people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to use

to put into action or service looking for a job in which she can employ her considerable writing skills

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

employ

2 of 2

noun

im-ˈplȯi

as in employment

the state of being provided with a paying job while you're under our employ, you can't do outside work for our competitors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb employ contrast with its synonyms?

The words use and utilize are common synonyms of employ. While all three words mean "to put into service especially to attain an end," employ suggests the use of a person or thing that is available but idle, inactive, or disengaged.

looking for better ways to employ their skills

Where would use be a reasonable alternative to employ?

Although the words use and employ have much in common, use implies availing oneself of something as a means or instrument to an end.

willing to use any means to achieve her ends

When is it sensible to use utilize instead of employ?

While the synonyms utilize and employ are close in meaning, utilize may suggest the discovery of a new, profitable, or practical use for something.

an old wooden bucket utilized as a planter

Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of employ

Verb

Others exclude any claims from employing workers in or around your home. —

Bob Carlson, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2025 Expect a moment suspended in time around a bold menu employing techniques such as slow cooking, fermentation and decoction. —

Lily Templeton, WWD, 27 Jan. 2025

Noun

His passionate commitment to freedom landed him in the employ of the new regime, Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate, as one of its most successful polemicists. —

Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024 To photograph her as a model, in the bold outfits and provocative poses that advertising and editorial employ, renders that photographic language distinctly visible, and critiquable. —

Max Norman, ARTnews.com, 9 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for employ

Recent Examples of Synonyms for employ

Verb

Around 58% of hiring managers said recent college graduates are unprepared for the workforce, according to a December survey from Intelligent, an online magazine focused on higher education.

— Nayeli Jaramillo-Plata, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
He’s also brought in nearly the same overall from the other cities and counties that subsequently hired him.

— Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025