employed 1 of 2

adjective

as in engaged
involved in often constant activity insisted that the children be employed in some useful activity, even during school vacations

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employed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of employ
1
as in hired
to provide with a paying job a new factory that will employ 500 people

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in used
to put into action or service looking for a job in which she can employ her considerable writing skills

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of employed
Verb
In January 2025, the federal government employed more than 3 million people. — Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026 Asked about the most difficult decision of her career, Lewin pointed to the closure of ILM’s Singapore studio, which ILM announced in August 2023 and which employed more than 300 people. — Callum McLennan, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 At the same time, politicians and business leaders still employed yakuza for various tasks in mid-century Japan. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 North together, a practice regularly employed by networks in expanding franchises that helps to launch new offshoots and allows for seamless crossovers. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026 On the other side, Kirby Smart is hoping to tighten-up his record against the team who employed him as defensive coordinator. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 The California State University Employees Union, which represents about 15,000 staff members, 20,000 student assistants and 1,000 workers employed by private sector auxiliaries on campuses, is the largest labor group within the system. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026 There were thousands of empty houses in London and the councils actually employed gangs to come in and smash up these lovely Victorian houses, remove floorboards, rip out wiring [and] destroy the plumbing so squatters couldn’t live in them. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 8 Oct. 2026 That lesson carried straight into my next role as Lead Product Owner for Salesforce and Vlocity CPQ at T-Mobile (employed through Mphasis), where the systems in question don’t just read contracts. — Eshaan Jain, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for employed
  1. engaged
  2. hired
  3. used
  4. diligent
  5. recruited
  6. utilized
  7. busy
  8. applied
Adjective
  • If companies want more engaged workers, ADP CEO Maria Black says CEOs and senior leaders should start by asking themselves if employees trust them.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • That’s a striking increase from 2022, when 39% of engaged or married 18-to-34-year-olds reported having one — and only 15% of engaged or married Americans overall did.
    — Grace Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of engaged
Verb
  • Alejandro Diaz, whom Xuan hired as an eviction manager for his real estate firm, accused Xuan of trying to break down a tenant’s door in Apple Valley and using a Taser to shock another renter’s dog, according to the civil suit.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • By July, the side project turned into a full-time job when MLB hired Weingardt as a principal product manager to explore changes to its flagship app.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of hired
Verb
  • The attacker used a pump-action shotgun bought by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting.
    — HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The shooter used a pump-action shotgun in yesterday's shooting, two law enforcement officials briefed on the case told NBC News.
    — Irene Byon, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of used
Adjective
  • There are no straightforward steps like in the days when a diligent worker could land a job at a good company, work hard to get promoted and hope to climb the corporate ladder.
    — Julia Carpenter, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Edwards said Brown was diligent in going to work and didn’t worry about the weather at all.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of diligent
Verb
  • The canvas also included the logos of the Springfield Wildcats, Bel’s high-school soccer team, and the Wittenberg Tigers, the team of Wittenberg University, a private college that had recruited Bel to play.
    — Edwidge Danticat, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026
  • This reboot, directed by Kitao Sakurai and starring Noah Centineo and Andrew Koji, takes place in 1993 as two estranged fighters are recruited to enter a tournament that forces them to face off against each other.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of recruited
Verb
  • There is also an elevator, although it’s best utilized as a dumbwaiter for luggage and is not recommended for guest use.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • New processes like StoryCamera, StoryPerformance and StoryLighting have been created and were utilized in the several minutes of work-in-progress footage the panel showcased.
    — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of utilized
Adjective
  • Elsewhere in the store, staff were busy stocking shelves, and most products were in plentiful supply.
    — JOHN LEICESTER, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Flynn shared concerns that a gate near Sheridan could back traffic up into a busy intersection at Quincy.
    — Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of busy
Verb
  • Fundora found room for uppercuts inside and applied pressure through the middle rounds before delivering the decisive left in the final second.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • It must now be applied to those making products that could shape the future of humanity itself.
    — Giorgos Tsetis, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of applied

Browse Nearby Words

employable
employed
employee
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Cite this Entry

“Employed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/employed. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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