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

• hand
• hireling
• jobholder
• retainer
• 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

As startup businesses morph into scaleups, their key employees gain experience and start to develop business ideas of their own. —Trevor Clawson, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

From Florida to the Bahamas to various Caribbean islands, travelers stranded by the shutdown of Silver Airways started the process of seeking refunds for flights not taken, while blind-sided employees whose livelihoods were suddenly cut off asked a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge to help them. —David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2025

Other employees saw some men looking into the complex from different sides and taking pictures. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025

The Winter Park Playhouse employee marched against Trump when he was first elected in 2016. —Kairi Lowery, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 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.