What does enjoy mean?
To enjoy is to take pleasure or delight in something — an activity, an experience, a possession, or even an abstract advantage such as good health or favorable circumstances. It is one of the most versatile and frequently used verbs of positive experience in English, covering everything from simple liking ("I enjoy coffee") to deep satisfaction ("she enjoys her work"). A second, more formal sense describes possessing or benefiting from something desirable: a country may enjoy peace, a writer enjoy renown. Derived forms include the noun enjoyment and the adjective enjoyable, both common in everyday speech. The word carries a warm, affirmative connotation and suits registers ranging from casual conversation to formal writing. Its history is itself pleasant: it descends from Old French enjoier, meaning to give joy, rooted ultimately in the Latin gaudere, to rejoice — making enjoy a linguistic cousin of words like joy and rejoice.
verbTo take pleasure or delight in something; to experience something and find it agreeable or satisfying.
- To take pleasure or satisfaction in something (e.g., enjoy a meal, enjoy reading).
- To possess or experience something good or advantageous (e.g., enjoy good health, enjoy popularity).
"We enjoyed a leisurely dinner on the terrace as the sun went down."
"I really enjoyed the concert last night."
"The region enjoys a mild climate all year round."
"Enjoy" literally once meant to put joy into someone — its Old French ancestor enjoier meant to give delight, not just receive it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enjoy
Enjoy entered Middle English from the Old French enjoier or enjoir, formed from en- (an intensive prefix) plus joie, meaning joy. The French joie derives from the Latin gaudia, plural of gaudium, meaning joy or delight, from the verb gaudere, to rejoice. This makes enjoy etymologically related to English words such as joy, rejoice, and joyous. Originally the verb could mean to give joy or to make joyful, before shifting toward its modern sense of experiencing or taking pleasure in something.
Related word forms
How enjoy is actually used
In British English, "enjoy!" is commonly used on its own as a friendly exclamation when handing someone food or wishing them a good time; this standalone use is less established in American English. The word is broadly neutral in register, fitting both casual and formal contexts.
Easily confused with enjoy
Enjoin means to instruct or urge someone to do something, or to legally prohibit it — entirely different from taking pleasure in something.