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Webster 1913 Edition


Enjoy

En-joy′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Enjoyed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Enjoying
.]
[OF.
enjoier
to receive with joy; pref.
en-
(L.
in
) + OF. & F.
joie
joy: cf. OF.
enjoir
to enjoy. See
Joy
.]
1.
To take pleasure or satisfaction in the possession or experience of; to feel or perceive with pleasure; to be delighted with;
as, to
enjoy
the dainties of a feast; to
enjoy
conversation.
2.
To have, possess, and use with satisfaction; to occupy or have the benefit of, as a good or profitable thing, or as something desirable;
as, to
enjoy
a free constitution and religious liberty
.
That the children of Israel may
enjoy
every man the inheritance of his fathers.
Num. xxxvi. 8.
To
enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season.
Heb. xi. 25.
3.
To have sexual intercourse with.
Milton.
To enjoy one’s self
,
to feel pleasure; to be happy.

En-joy′

,
Verb.
I.
To take satisfaction; to live in happiness.
[R.]
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition


Enjoy

ENJOY'

, v.t.
1.
To feel or perceive with pleasure; to take pleasure or satisfaction in the possession or experience of. We enjoy the dainties of a feast,the conversation of friends, and our own meditations.
I could enjoy the pangs of death,
And smile in agony.
2.
To possess with satisfaction; to take pleasure or delight in the possession of.
Thou shalt beget sons, but thou shalt not enjoy them. Deut.28.
3.
To have, possess and use with satisfaction; to have,hold or occupy, as a good or profitable thing, or as something desirable. We enjoy a free constitution and inestimable privileges.
That the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. Num.36.
The land shall enjoy her sabbaths. Lev.26.
To enjoy one's self, is to feel pleasure or satisfaction in one's own mind, or to relish the pleasures in which one partakes; to be happy.

ENJOY'

,
Verb.
I.
To live in happiness. [Unusual.]

Definition 2024


enjoy

enjoy

English

Verb

enjoy (third-person singular simple present enjoys, present participle enjoying, simple past and past participle enjoyed)

  1. To receive pleasure or satisfaction from something
    • 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
      Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.
    Enjoy your holidays!   I enjoy dancing.
  2. To have the use or benefit of something.
    • Bible, Numbers xxxvi. 8
      that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers
    • 1988, Harry G Frankfurt, The importance of what we care about: philosophical essays
      This account fails to provide any basis for doubting that animals of subhuman species enjoy the freedom it defines.
    I plan to go travelling while I still enjoy good health.
  3. To have sexual intercourse with.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)

Usage notes

  • This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Derived terms

Translations