What does "employment" mean?
The occupation or work for which one is used, and often paid.
Employment
/ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The occupation or work for which one is used, and often paid.
- Grammar: employment is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: employ, use, utilization, work.
- Useful contrasts: jobless, disemployment, dismissal.
- Usage evidence: The master plan includes programs to provide employment as well as recreation.
How to use "employment"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "employment" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "employment" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "employment" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "employment" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "employment" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "employ" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "employment", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The occupation or work for which one is used, and often paid. countable, uncountable
"[I]t is certaine no man sees more of the Navye's Transactions than himselfe [the Clerk of the Acts], and possibly may speak as much to the project if required, or else he is a blockhead, and not fitt for that imployment."
- 2 the occupation for which you are paid wordnet
- 3 The act of employing. countable, uncountable
"The personnel director handled the whole employment procedure"
- 4 the act of using wordnet
- 5 The state of being employed. countable, uncountable
"[…] King Henry [VIII] full fraught all thoſe vvith vvealth and revvards, vvhom he retained in his imployment."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 the act of giving someone a job wordnet
- 7 A purpose, a use. countable, uncountable
"This new employment of his time caused no relaxation in his attention to my education."
- 8 the state of being employed or having a job wordnet
- 9 An activity to which one devotes time. countable, uncountable
- 10 The number or percentage of people at work. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"The master plan includes programs to provide employment as well as recreation."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "employment"?
Common synonyms include: employ, use, utilization, work, act, acting.
How do you use "employment" in a sentence?
The master plan includes programs to provide employment as well as recreation.
How do you pronounce "employment"?
Pronounced /ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/.
Etymology
From employ (itself from Middle French employer, from Middle French empleier, from Latin implicō (“enfold, involve, be connected with”), itself from in- + plicō (“fold”)) + -ment.