worker

noun

work·​er ˈwər-kər 

1

a

: one that works especially at manual or industrial labor or with a particular material

a factory worker

—often used in combination

b

: a member of the working class

2

: any of the sexually underdeveloped and usually sterile members of a colony of social ants, bees, wasps, or termites that perform most of the labor and protective duties of the colony

Synonyms of worker

• laborer
• slave

Examples of worker in a Sentence

The company is planning to hire 200 workers.

The average worker earned $1,000 more this year.

If management doesn't make the changes, the workers will go on strike.

They are both hard workers.

Recent Examples on the Web

The worst place at a factory to work for was always the screen-printing department—the hot metal and lacquer thinner produce pungent toxins that workers have no choice but to inhale. —Literary Hub, 8 June 2026

Now Crosswhite can acknowledge the beauty in the art, respect the workers who crafted the carvings, and appreciate the opportunity to tell a story larger than the monument itself. —Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026

Maxim voiced frustration that repairs weren’t happening quickly enough and resentment at the intrusion on his privacy as workers came in and out. —Zahra Ullah, CNN Money, 7 June 2026

Health workers are handling the disease with minimal resources, because agencies have been scrambling to bring aid into the region. —Justin Kabumba, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing worker

• care worker
• co-worker
• day worker
• gig worker
• guest worker
• sex worker
• voluntary worker
• wonder-worker
• worker-priest

Rhymes for worker

• caseworker
• coworker
• farmworker
• woodworker

Kids Definition

worker

noun

work·​er ˈwər-kər 

1

a

: one that works

b

: a member of the working class

2

: one of the members of a colony of social ants, bees, wasps, or termites that are only partially developed sexually and that perform most of the labor and protective duties of the colony