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

Erika Kirk's one-word message for Candace Owens Weiss asked Erika Kirk about Candace Owens, a former Turning Point USA employee and onetime friend of Charlie Kirk, who has recently been peddling conspiracy theories about his assassination. —CBS News, 14 Dec. 2025

The company recently laid off 93 employees, about a week after the Navy canceled four frigate ship orders that would have been built in Wisconsin. —Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 14 Dec. 2025

Such an expansion would significantly broaden the site’s manufacturing scope and could increase the total workforce to around 300 employees. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 14 Dec. 2025

According to rumor, some of the researchers downstairs were Meta employees hoping to be poached by the Institute for Foundation Models, which supposedly offered more enticing compensation packages. —Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2025

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.