worker

noun work·er \ ˈwər-kər \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of worker

1 a : one that works especially at manual or industrial labor or with a particular material

a factory worker

—often used in combination

b : a member of the working class

2 : any of the sexually underdeveloped and usually sterile members of a colony of social ants, bees, wasps, or termites that perform most of the labor and protective duties of the colony

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Examples of worker in a Sentence

The company is planning to hire 200 workers.
The average worker earned $1,000 more this year.
If management doesn't make the changes, the workers will go on strike.
They are both hard workers.

Recent Examples of worker from the Web

The Red Hook Houses, a nearby low-income housing project, supplied him with workers who needed the paycheck.

— junot díaz, The New Yorker, "The Maraschino Mogul’s Secret Life," 17 Apr. 2018
State parks officials are coordinating with county and state emergency workers on reconnaissance missions to rescue the campers, according to the Associated Press.

— john hopewell, Washington Post, "Historic rain inundates Kauai, cutting off Hawaii residents and tourists with floods and mudslides," 17 Apr. 2018
Emancipation Day is a legal holiday in D.C. with city workers off the job.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Why is Tax Day 2018 on April 17 this year? How to file an extension," 16 Apr. 2018
Other co-workers dismissed that talk as rumor and did not report his behavior to supervisors, according to the records, part of which were redacted.

— emilie eaton, San Antonio Express-News, "Six months after a sex-crimes detective was fired, a woman still waits for justice," 16 Apr. 2018
Even if a report is ultimately found to be unsubstantiated, some families go through great disruption while interacting with state workers.

— The Republic | azcentral.com, "Understand the system | How Arizona's child-protective services are supposed to work," 13 Apr. 2018
The city council’s effort to deny the disciples a permit for a printing plant with 111 workers in Antelope may also be a passing phase.

— david sarasohn, The New Republic, "Antelope’s Last Stand," 12 Apr. 2018
Today’s Video Auto Enroll With more than 30 million full-time workers lacking access to a retirement plan at their workplace, our latest Financial Inclusion in America video explores how an automatic IRA plan could help secure workers’ futures.

— gerard baker, WSJ, "The 10-Point.," 12 Apr. 2018
The announcement of Ferrer's plea comes three days after the government unsealed a sweeping federal indictment against Ferrer's former co-workers.

— richard ruelas, azcentral, "Backpage CEO pleads guilty in prostitution, money-laundering case," 12 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'worker.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.