DictionaryAI

employment

noun
im-PLOY-muhnt/ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/

4 meanings of employment

Practice

  1. 1
    jobnoununcountable
    Having a job, or the job someone does for money.

    She found employment as a cook at a local restaurant.

    His employment at the factory involves checking the machines for problems.

    UsagePeople say find employment or be in employment. In everyday talk, a job is more usual.

    Similaroccupation

    Oppositeunemployment

  2. 2
    hiringnoununcountable
    Hiring someone, or using a person or thing for a job or purpose.

    The school's employment of two new teachers helped reduce class sizes.

    The farm's employment of machines made the harvest much faster.

    UsageUsually said as the employment of a person or thing.

  3. 3
    number workingnoununcountable
    The number or percentage of people who have jobs in a place or country.

    Like a scoreboard that shows how many people in a country have jobs.

    Employment in our town went up after the new factory opened.

    The news said employment fell last month because some stores closed.

    UsageIt is a total for a place: employment rises or falls.

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    pastimenoundatedcountable
    An activity that a person spends time doing, even when it is not a job.

    Similarpastime, pursuit, activity

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of employment apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From the verb "employ" plus "-ment." "Employ" goes back to Latin "implicō," meaning to enfold or involve.

Checked 7 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

  • Employment is formed from the verb employ plus -ment. en.wiktionary.org
  • Employ ultimately derives from the Latin verb implicō, meaning to enfold or involve. en.wiktionary.org