employee

noun

em·​ploy·​ee im-ˌplȯ(i)-ˈē How to pronounce employee (audio)
(ˌ)em-;
im-ˈplȯ(i)-ˌē How to pronounce employee (audio)
em-
variants or less commonly employe
: one employed by another usually for wages or salary and in a position below the executive level

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 The letter calling on Google to drop its association with Mind the Tech was distributed via internal employee mailing lists dedicated to discussing company contracts that some workers consider unethical, as well as several mailing lists for Muslim, Arab, and anti-Zionist Google employees. Caroline Haskins, WIRED, 5 Mar. 2024 The future of California’s telework compliance office is murky as many state employees — for many, much to their dismay — begin returning to their offices this month, via Maya Miller. Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 In January, former WWE employee Janel Grant sued McMahon, WWE, and former WWE executive John Laurinaitis. Todd Spangler, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 Monday’s lawsuit is just the latest legal action brought by former Twitter employees related to Musk’s acquisition. Brian Fung, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Detectives interviewed the Currys' former employees as well as several neighbors who lived near unlicensed sober living homes associated with 1 Family Clinic LLC. Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Paxton was accused of abusing his office to benefit real estate investor Nate Paul and retaliating against former employees who reported him to law enforcement. Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 Also in December, San Francisco judge rejected X’s request to dismiss a lawsuit by employees claiming they were denied 2022 bonuses, despite being promised in the months leading up to Musk’s acquisition that they’d be paid 50% of their target amounts. Jef Feeley, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 The list of former Twitter employees, landlords and vendors suing the social media platform and Elon Musk is growing, with four ex-executives filing a lawsuit collectively seeking more than $128 million in unpaid severance. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'employee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of employee was in 1822

Dictionary Entries Near employee

Cite this Entry

“Employee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/employee. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

employee

noun
em·​ploy·​ee im-ˌplȯi-ˈē How to pronounce employee (audio) (ˌ)em- How to pronounce employee (audio)
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.

More from Merriam-Webster on employee

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