enjoy

enjoy — verb

1. to feel happy or satisfied when you do, watch, taste, or experience an activity

1.verbtransitiveA1
Definition

to feel happy or satisfied when you do, watch, taste, or experience an activity or thing — for example, watching a film, eating a meal, playing a sport, or spending time with people you like.

Example

Inês really enjoyed the climbing trip last weekend with her cousins.

Otis enjoys reading mystery novels before falling asleep each night.

enjoy + gerund for hobby activities

Common collocations
  • thoroughly enjoy
  • really enjoy
  • enjoy every moment
  • enjoy + gerund
Synonyms
  • like

    milder and more general; can be followed by either a gerund or a to-infinitive

  • love

    stronger emotional intensity than enjoy; also takes a gerund

  • relish

    more formal, suggests savouring something eagerly with great satisfaction

Antonyms
  • dislike

    the direct opposite; to not like something

  • hate

    a much stronger negative feeling

Grammar Patterns

enjoy + noun phrase

enjoy + gerund

Usage Note

Unlike 'like' and 'love', 'enjoy' cannot be followed by a to-infinitive. Use a gerund instead: 'I enjoy swimming' (✅), not 'I enjoy to swim' (❌).

Common Mistakes

I enjoy to play tennis on weekends.
I enjoy playing tennis on weekends.
enjoy takes a gerund, not a to-infinitive.

2. to feel pleased and happy in the situation you are currently experiencing, such

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

to feel pleased and happy in the situation you are currently experiencing, such as at a party, on a trip, or while doing an activity with other people.

Example

The children really enjoyed themselves at the beach all afternoon.

reflexive: enjoy + oneself

Nikhil enjoyed his time working as a volunteer in Japan.

enjoy + possessive + time + gerund

Common collocations
  • enjoy yourself
  • enjoy yourselves
  • enjoy every minute
  • enjoy the moment
Synonyms
  • have a good time

    an informal phrasal alternative; less formal than 'enjoy yourself'

  • have fun

    very common in everyday spoken English; slightly informal

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

enjoy + reflexive pronoun

enjoy + time/period

Usage Note

The reflexive construction 'enjoy yourself / enjoy yourselves' is extremely common in this sense and is often used as a friendly imperative: 'Enjoy yourselves at the party!'

3. a friendly expression used in offering a gift, serving food, or suggesting an ex

3.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

a friendly expression used in offering a gift, serving food, or suggesting an experience, as a polite wish for the other person to have a pleasant time.

Example

Here are two tickets for the show — enjoy your evening, Tunde!

imperative: enjoy + noun phrase

Nila poured tea for her guests and said, "Please enjoy."

Common collocations
  • enjoy your meal
  • enjoy the show
  • enjoy your trip

Grammar Patterns

enjoy + noun phrase (as imperative)

enjoy! (as standalone imperative)

Usage Note

This sense often appears as a short imperative. In British English, the standalone 'Enjoy!' (without an object) has become very common in casual conversation, though some usage guides still consider it informal.

4. to have the benefit or advantage of something good, such as good health, strong

4.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to have the benefit or advantage of something good, such as good health, strong support, a useful right, or a high standard of living.

Example

The Watanabe family enjoys excellent health despite their old age.

enjoy + abstract noun (health)

This tropical region enjoys a warm climate throughout the whole year.

Common collocations
  • enjoy good health
  • enjoy full support
  • enjoy free access
  • enjoy a reputation
  • enjoy a high standard of living
Synonyms
  • benefit from

    emphasises receiving an advantage; more transparent in meaning

  • possess

    more formal; simply indicates ownership without the positive nuance

  • have

    neutral and general; lacks the positive tone of 'enjoy'

Antonyms
  • suffer from

    the opposite — to experience something bad or negative

  • lack

    to not have something that would be beneficial

Grammar Patterns

enjoy + abstract noun

Usage Note

Subject is typically a person, group, organisation, or place. The object is nearly always an abstract noun such as 'health', 'support', 'access', 'reputation', 'rights', or 'standard of living'. This sense is more common in formal and written English.

Common Mistakes

She enjoys a new bicycle.
She enjoys good health.
this sense is used with abstract benefits, not with concrete objects. For concrete things, use sense 1.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe positive feelings toward an activity or thing, but they differ in intensity, register, and grammar. 'Enjoy' is the neutral, all-purpose choice for feeling satisfied by an experience — it is the most objective of the group. 'Like' is milder and more general; you can like something without actively getting pleasure from it ('I like that colour'). 'Love' is much stronger and more emotional, often used for deep passions ('I love classical music'). 'Relish' is more formal and suggests that someone savours or anticipates an experience with great eagerness ('She relished the challenge of the debate'). Note also that 'enjoy' requires a gerund ('I enjoy running'), while 'like' and 'love' allow either a gerund or a to-infinitive ('I love to run').

enjoy ↗like ↗love ↗relish

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'enjoy' came into English through Old French 'enjoir', which combined the prefix 'en-' (meaning 'to cause to be') with 'joir' (meaning 'to rejoice'), tracing back to the Latin verb 'gaudere' (to rejoice or be glad). The sense of 'having an advantage' (sense 4) developed in the 16th century, extending the core meaning of taking pleasure into the realm of possessing beneficial conditions.