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 of employee

• 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

Not far from where the two sat, a customer service light flickered on and off, but no employees manned the help desk. —Audrey Pachuta, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026

As of December, Cloudflare had 5,156 employees. —Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026

An employee beverage without a lid was stored on the prep tables. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado may 8, Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026

In the 81 days since, the strike has become unusually acrimonious, with the WGA West leadership accusing employees of acts of violence and intimidation. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 May 2026

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.