enjoy

UK: /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/ US: /ɛnˈdʒɔɪ/ ,(en joi′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

en•joy /ɛnˈdʒɔɪ/   v. 

1. to take pleasure in;
   experience with joy: [~ + object]
   The audience enjoyed the new opera.
   [~ + verb-ing]
   I enjoy walking from the train to school.
2. [~ + object] to have the benefit of;
   have and use with satisfaction:
   They enjoy one of the world's highest standards of living.
3. [Informal.] to enjoy oneself:
   [no object* often in a suggestion] Here's your dinner; enjoy!

Idioms

4. Idioms enjoy oneself, to experience pleasure;
   have a good time;
   have fun:
   Did you enjoy yourself at the party?

Related Words

enjoy is a verb, enjoyable is an adjective, enjoyment is a noun:
I enjoy old movies. Those days at the beach were enjoyable times. We shared a lot of enjoyment back then.

Usage

The verb enjoy usually takes an object, except for the very informal use of definition 3, where it is often used as a request or suggestion; for this meaning, enjoy yourself is still more usual. Note also that enjoy may be followed by the -ing form of a verb:
I enjoy hiking/running/walking
, but not by the infinitive, or to + verb form. It differs therefore from like, a verb with similar meaning, which may take either the -ing form or the to + verb form.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

en•joy  (en joi′), v.t. 

1. to experience with joy;
   take pleasure in:
   He enjoys Chinese food.
2. to have and use with satisfaction;
   have the benefit of:
   He enjoys an excellent income from his trust funds.
3. to find or experience pleasure for (oneself ):
   She seems to enjoy herself at everything she does.
4. to undergo (an improvement):
   Automobile manufacturers have enjoyed a six-percent rise in sales over the past month.
5. to have intercourse with.

• Old French enjoier to give joy to. See en-¹, joy
• Middle English enjoyen to make joyful 1350–1400

en•joy′er, n. 
en•joy′ing•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 1. appreciate, fancy, relish, savor.
• 2. possess, own.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

enjoy / ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/ verb (transitive)

1. to receive pleasure from; take joy in
2. to have the benefit of; use with satisfaction
3. to have as a condition; experience: the land enjoyed a summer of rain
4. enjoy oneself ⇒ to have a good time

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French enjoir, from en-¹ + joir to find pleasure in, from Latin gaudēre to rejoice

enˈjoyable adjective

enˈjoyableness noun

enˈjoyably adverb

enˈjoyer noun