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

The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys legend actually got a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy a sixth time Tuesday, as the NFL tabbed him to unveil it at the Super Bowl LX fan experience as part of honoring a longtime FedEx employee. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026

Over 99% of employee contributions went toward Democrats during the 2024 election cycle, according to reports. —David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 3 Feb. 2026

The executive director and employees used hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants in ways that a top city official says undermined the anti-violence mission and should never have been allowed, according to a Washington Post investigation. —Jenny Gathright, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026

Investigators responded to the business, where employees told them Watson had made a purchase at the store earlier in the evening and left a phone number for the store’s rewards program, according to the statement. —Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 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.