employee

noun

em·​ploy·​ee im-ˌplȯ(i)-ˈē 

(ˌ)em-;

im-ˈplȯ(i)-ˌē 

em-

variants or less commonly employe

: one employed by another usually for wages or salary and in a position below the executive level

Synonyms

• hand
• hireling
• jobholder
• retainer
• worker

Examples of employee in a Sentence

A good boss listens to his employees.

The company has more than 2,000 employees worldwide.

Recent Examples on the Web

Every major decision has to be painstakingly negotiated with employee representatives. —Paul Eremenko, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024

The vote comes after what was said to be a supermajority of Mercedes-Benz employees at the plants filed a petition earlier this month with the board's Region 10 office in Atlanta seeking to represent about 5,200 production workers. —Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 22 Apr. 2024

Palermo has more than 1,200 employees, including 800 in Milwaukee. —Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024

Officer Chris Thomas, a department spokesperson, said the shooting occurred at a business near RH Johnson Boulevard and West Bell Road when a 16-year-old employee brought the gun to show another employee. —The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024

The agreements reached with civilian city workers cover about 33,000 employees, a third of them part-timers. —David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024

Eight men — four from the construction company and four employees of a private building-inspection firm — stand accused of causing foreseeable death and injury through negligence for their roles in the construction of the complex. —Ben Hubbard, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024

An air of unfinished business does continue to linger between Molly and Arthur (Nat Faxon), her employee at The Wells Foundation, who remain afraid to confess their feelings for one another. —Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024

Currently, more than 610 corporate employees, or around 25% of the staff at H&R Block’s headquarters, work remotely. —Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

employ entry 1 + -ee entry 1, perhaps after French employé

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

employee

noun

em·​ploy·​ee im-ˌplȯi-ˈē  (ˌ)em- 

im-ˈplȯi-ˌē,

em-

: one who works for another for wages or a salary

Legal Definition

employee

noun

em·​ploy·​ee

variants also employe

: a person usually below the executive level who is hired by another to perform a service especially for wages or salary and is under the other's control see also respondeat superior compare independent contractor

Note: In determining whether an individual is an employee, courts look at several factors, including the nature of the compensation paid, provision for employee benefits, whether the hired party is in business, tax treatment of the hired party, source of the equipment used, and location of the work. Statutes, such as workers' compensation acts and labor laws, usually include a definition of employee as it is used in the statute.