- 1to give someone a job to do for payment employ somebody How many people does the company employ? employ somebody as something For the past three years he has been employed as a firefighter. employ somebody to do something A number of people have been employed to deal with the backlog of work. Topic CollocationsJobsgetting a job
- look for work
- look for/apply for/go for a job
- get/pick up/complete/fill out an application (form)
- send/e-mail your résumé/CV/application/application form/cover letter
- be called for/have/attend an interview
- offer somebody a job/work/employment/a promotion
- find/get/land a job
- employ/hire/recruit staff/workers/trainees
- recruit/appoint a manager
- arrive at/get to/leave work/the office/the factory
- start/finish work/your shift
- do/put in/work overtime
- have/gain/get/lack/need experience/qualifications
- do/get/have/receive training
- learn/pick up/improve/develop (your) skills
- cope with/manage/share/spread/delegate the workload
- improve your/achieve a better work-life balance
- have (no) job satisfaction/job security
- have a job/work/a career/a vocation
- find/follow/pursue your vocation
- enter/go into/join a profession
- choose/embark on/start/begin/pursue a career
- change jobs/professions/careers
- be/go/work freelance
- do/take on temp work/freelance work
- do/be engaged in/be involved in volunteer work
- leave/quit/resign from your job
- give up work/your job/your career
- hand in your notice/resignation
- plan to/be due to retire in June/next year, etc.
- take early retirement
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- 2employ something (formal) to use something such as a skill, method, etc. for a particular purpose He criticized the repressive methods employed by the country's government. The police had to employ force to enter the building. Idioms
verb jump to other results
NAmE//ɪmˈplɔɪ//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they employ he / she / it employs
past simple employed
-ing form employing
if a person or their time is employed in doing something, the person spends time doing that thing She was employed in making a list of all the jobs to be done.
Check pronunciation: employ