The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Employ \Em*ploy"\, n. [Cf. F. emploi.]
   That which engages or occupies a person; fixed or regular
   service or business; employment.
   [1913 Webster]

         The whole employ of body and of mind.    --Pope.
   [1913 Webster]

   In one's employ, in one's service.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Employ \Em*ploy"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Employed; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Employing.] [F. employer, fr. L. implicare to fold into,
   infold, involve, implicate, engage; in + plicare to fold. See
   Ply, and cf. Imply, Implicate.]
   1. To inclose; to infold. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To use; to have in service; to cause to be engaged in
      doing something; -- often followed by in, about, on, or
      upon, and sometimes by to; as:
      (a) To make use of, as an instrument, a means, a material,
          etc., for a specific purpose; to apply; as, to employ
          the pen in writing, bricks in building, words and
          phrases in speaking; to employ the mind; to employ
          one's energies.
          [1913 Webster]

                This is a day in which the thoughts . . . ought
                to be employed on serious subjects. --Addison.
      (b) To occupy; as, to employ time in study.
      (c) To have or keep at work; to give employment or
          occupation to; to intrust with some duty or behest;
          as, to employ a hundred workmen; to employ an envoy.
          [1913 Webster]

                Jonathan . . . and Jahaziah . . . were employed
                about this matter.                --Ezra x. 15.
          [1913 Webster]

                Thy vineyard must employ the sturdy steer
                To turn the glebe.                --Dryden.
          [1913 Webster]

   To employ one's self, to apply or devote one's time and
      attention; to busy one's self.

   Syn: To use; busy; apply; exercise; occupy; engross; engage.
        See Use.
        [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

employ
    n 1: the state of being employed or having a job; "they are
         looking for employment"; "he was in the employ of the city"
         [syn: employment, employ] [ant: unemployment]
    v 1: put into service; make work or employ for a particular
         purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose; "use your
         head!"; "we only use Spanish at home"; "I can't use this
         tool"; "Apply a magnetic field here"; "This thinking was
         applied to many projects"; "How do you utilize this tool?";
         "I apply this rule to get good results"; "use the plastic
         bags to store the food"; "He doesn't know how to use a
         computer" [syn: use, utilize, utilise, apply,
         employ]
    2: engage or hire for work; "They hired two new secretaries in
       the department"; "How many people has she employed?" [syn:
       hire, engage, employ] [ant: can, dismiss,
       displace, fire, force out, give notice, give the
       axe, give the sack, sack, send away, terminate]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

126 Moby Thesaurus words for "employ":
   active use, activities, activity, add, affair, affairs, appliance,
   application, apply, attend to business, attendance, avail, bag,
   bespeak, bestow, book, brief, business, busy, carry on, commerce,
   commission, concern, concernment, conduct, consecrate to, consume,
   consumption, contract for, dedicate to, devote, do, do with,
   employment, engage, engage in, engross, enlist, enterprise,
   exercise, exert, exertion, expend, exploit, follow, function,
   give over to, give to, go in for, good use, handle, hard usage,
   hard use, hire, ill use, interest, involve, labor, lookout,
   make use of, manage, manipulate, matter, mind the store,
   ministration, ministry, misuse, monopolize, obtain, occupation,
   occupy, operate, pass, pass the time, peonage, play, ply, practice,
   preengage, procure, prosecute, pursue, put forth, put in, put on,
   put out, recruit, reserve, retain, rough usage, secure, serfdom,
   service, servitium, servitorship, servitude, sign, sign on,
   sign up, sign up for, slavery, specialize in, spend,
   spend the time, tackle, take into employment, take on, take to,
   take up, tendance, thing, undertake, undertaking, usage, use,
   use up, using up, utilize, wage, while, while away, wield, wile,
   work, work at, wrong use