workers' compensation

noun

variants or less commonly workers' comp

-ˈkämp 

: a system of insurance that reimburses an employer for damages that must be paid to an employee for injury occurring in the course of employment

Examples of workers' compensation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After the incident, McElree took workers' compensation leave for his injuries. —Laura Fay, CBS News, 15 June 2026

Talking to an Ohio workers' compensation attorney early can help reduce the risk of paperwork errors affecting your claim. —Wyles Daniel, Ascend Agency, 8 May 2026

The city has also requested proposals for specialized legal work in areas such as workers' compensation. —IndyStar, 27 Jan. 2026

The county has also previously taken steps to improve workers' compensation, including correctional officers seeing an overall 3% wage bump to help improve retention and increase applications following the 2024 budget approval. —Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for workers' compensation

• acclimatisation
• acclimatization
• acidification
• actualization
• annualization
• autocorrelation
• autoregulation
• beatification
• beneficiation
• biodegradation
• biotransformation
• bureaucratization

Legal Definition

workers' compensation

noun

work·​ers' compensation

1

: compensation for injury to an employee arising out of and in the course of employment that is paid to the worker or his or her dependents by an employer whose strict liability for such compensation is established by statute

Note: Where established by statute, workers' compensation is generally the exclusive remedy for injuries arising from employment, with some exceptions. Workers' compensation statutes commonly include explicit exclusions for injury caused intentionally, by willful misconduct, and by voluntary intoxication from alcohol or illegal drugs.

2

: workers' compensation insurance