employed

1. 1
   adjective

   Having a paid job; working for an employer.

   He is currently employed as a structural engineer at a small firm.

   Newly employed graduates often struggle to budget their first paychecks.

   Similarworking, engaged

   Oppositeunemployed, jobless

2. 2
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of employ.

   The firm employed dozens of seasonal staff during the harvest.

   Engineers employed a new method to reinforce the aging bridge.

   Note

   A regular past form that does three jobs: the simple past (the firm employed dozens), the perfect with have (has employed), and the passive with be (was employed). Behind it stand the verb's meanings: keeping someone on staff, using something for a task, and keeping a mind busy. In the passive it blurs into the "has a job" adjective and the "in use" adjective, since was employed can name either an event or a state.

3. 3
   adjective

   Being used; put into service for a purpose.

   The technique is now employed across the entire automotive industry.

   Decorative motifs were widely employed in medieval manuscripts.

   Similarused, utilized, applied

   Oppositeunused

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