enjoy
enjoy — verb
1. to feel happy or satisfied when you do, watch, taste, or experience an activity
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.
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
The young children enjoyed the puppet show at the town library this morning.
Naoko enjoyed the warm chocolate cake her grandmother baked for her.
Did you enjoy the concert Talia and her band put on last Friday?
文法句型
enjoy + noun phrase
enjoy + gerund
用法筆記
Unlike 'like' and 'love', 'enjoy' cannot be followed by a to-infinitive. Use a gerund instead: 'I enjoy swimming' (✅), not 'I enjoy to swim' (❌).
常見錯誤
2. to feel pleased and happy in the situation you are currently experiencing, such
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.
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
Manuela told me she enjoyed every minute of the hiking trip.
I hope you both enjoy yourselves at the wedding on Saturday.
Aylin enjoyed herself at the dance party until midnight.
- have a good time
an informal phrasal alternative; less formal than 'enjoy yourself'
- have fun
very common in everyday spoken English; slightly informal
- have a bad time
the opposite experience; to not enjoy a situation
文法句型
enjoy + reflexive pronoun
enjoy + time/period
用法筆記
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
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.
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."
Enjoy your dessert — the chef here bakes wonderful cakes every day.
I left some soup in the fridge — just heat it up and enjoy.
文法句型
enjoy + noun phrase (as imperative)
enjoy! (as standalone imperative)
用法筆記
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
to have the benefit or advantage of something good, such as good health, strong support, a useful right, or a high standard of living.
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.
Quan enjoys the full support of his team in every project.
Jessica enjoys a good reputation among all the local businesses.
People in that village enjoy free access to clean drinking water.
- 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'
- suffer from
the opposite — to experience something bad or negative
- lack
to not have something that would be beneficial
文法句型
enjoy + abstract noun
用法筆記
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.