What does employing mean?
Employing is the present participle and gerund of the verb "to employ," which carries two closely related meanings. The first and oldest sense is to give someone paid work: a company employing fifty engineers has them on its payroll. The second, broader sense is to make practical use of something — a method, tool, technique, or quality — as in employing caution or employing a new strategy. Both senses descend from the same source, ultimately the Latin implicare, meaning to enfold or entangle, which passed into English via Old French. In tone, employing sits comfortably between everyday words like "using" or "hiring" and more formal options like "utilizing" or "engaging," making it useful in both workplace writing and general prose. Its flexibility across people, skills, and strategies makes it a quietly versatile word worth mastering.
verbPresent participle and gerund of the verb "employ": to give someone paid work, or to make use of something such as a method, tool, or material for a particular purpose.
- To pay someone to work; to engage a person's services.
- To use or apply a method, tool, skill, or resource for a purpose.
"By employing new screening techniques, the lab reduced testing time by half."
"The firm is now employing over two hundred people across three offices."
"She defended her argument by employing evidence from several independent studies."
"Employ" traces back to Latin implicare — literally "to entangle" — so every time you employ a tool or hire a worker, you are, etymologically speaking, getting something entangled in your business.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of employing
"Employ" entered English around the late 15th century, borrowed from Middle French employer, itself derived from the Latin implicare, meaning to enfold, involve, or entangle. The same Latin root gives English the related words "deploy" and "ploy," all sharing the idea of bringing something into play or involvement. The participial form "employing" developed naturally alongside the verb and has carried both its senses — hiring people and making use of things — since early modern times.
Related word forms
How employing is actually used
As a gerund or participle, "employing" is neutral in register but leans slightly formal, especially when describing methods rather than people. When applied to people, it implies ongoing paid engagement rather than one-off contracting.
Easily confused with employing
"Employer" is the party giving work while an "employee" receives it; "employing" is simply the act of hiring or using.