employed

[em-ploid]

adjective

1. given employment, or paid work; hired, especially permanently by inclusion on a payroll.

   The comedy revolves around a beauty salon owner and her newly employed male stylist.

2. applied or used; made use of.

   In the study, drilling with flashcards was the least frequently employed strategy for language learning.

3. kept busy or engaged with some work or activity.

   I never feel usefully employed in science except when I'm actually gathering data.

4. (of time, energies, etc.) occupied; devoted to some pursuit.

   Working on my quilt gave me many happily employed hours.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of employ.

Other Word Forms

• de-employed adjective
• well-employed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of employed¹

First recorded in 1560–70; employ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; employ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Hyundai said in a statement that none of them were directly employed by the company.

From BBC

Throughout the interview, he employed his usual BS method of pretending he knows what he’s talking about by drawing on half-remembered details he heard from other people.

From Salon

The tenants, who are employed by large business nearby, were inside the property when the cars were targeted on Sunday night.

From BBC

For that reason, Gray said he employed a relatively new technique called UV direct printing that was developed for outdoor signage.

From Los Angeles Times

But beyond its history and amenities, the club was important to the Altadena economy as it employed around 120 people, many of whom were locals.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• engaged 
• hired www.thesaurus.com
• occupied