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

After an Anthropic employee inquired with Palantir about Claude’s role in the raid, a Palantir senior executive, who was alarmed by Anthropic’s seeming disapproval, notified the Pentagon, Semafor reported earlier. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 25 Feb. 2026

The union representing many of the agency’s 880 employees blasted the board on Tuesday. —Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2026

The measure holds employers accountable for policies that discourage the reporting of theft and that might result in retaliation against an employee who does report a crime. —John Aguilar, Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2026

Track them here The other bill in the Democratic duo’s package, Senate Bill 73, would require a court order for a federal government agency or employee to inspect a voting machine or device. —Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 24 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.