worker

play

noun work·er \ ˈwər-kər \

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

See worker defined for English-language learners

See worker defined for kids

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

Aid workers have told horror stories of desperate refugees staggering to safety despite bullet wounds and burn injuries.

— ishaan tharoor, Washington Post, "The world’s ‘most friendless people’ are under assault yet again," 31 Aug. 2017
The charge, filed Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board, came after more than half a dozen dealerships broke away from the bargaining group to reach separate agreements with their unionized workers.

— ally marotti, chicagotribune.com, "Dealership group accuses striking mechanics of labor law violation," 30 Aug. 2017
To gauge what impact the increase should have had, Murray and his co-workers stashed temperature recorders inside plastic eggs and buried them in 25 croc nests.

— mitch leslie, Science | AAAS, "Something is changing the sex of Costa Rican crocodiles," 30 Aug. 2017
And one of his former co-workers had 1.5 feet of water in his house.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Donations pour in to Bel Air fire company for Harvey victims," 30 Aug. 2017
But lots of laws work by patchwork, and different workers make different amounts even in the same place.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "How St. Louis Workers Won and Then Lost a Minimum-Wage Hike," 29 Aug. 2017
Simply put, without worker bees, a hive will eventually die.

— susmita baral, Teen Vogue, "Bees and Colony Collapse Disorder, Explained," 29 Aug. 2017
To fill the void, the government passed a law subsidizing the importation of foreign contract workers.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Remains of 19th-Century Chinese Laborers Found at Pyramid in Peru," 29 Aug. 2017
Perhaps more business leaders should worry about a worker revolt before fantasizing about robots taking up arms.

— vanityfair.com, "“We Do Not Have Long”: Elon Musk Calls for a Global Ban on Killer Robots," 21 Aug. 2017

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.

First Known Use of worker

14th century

worker Synonyms

Synonyms

dogsbody [chiefly British], drone, drudge, drudger, fag, foot soldier, grub, grubber, grunt, laborer, peon, plugger, slavey, slogger, toiler, slave

Antonyms

employer, gaffer [British]

Related Words

workhorse; coolie, serf

Near Antonyms

goldbrick, shirker; drone, idler, lazybones, loafer, slouch, slug, sluggard

WORKER Defined for English Language Learners

worker

play

noun

Definition of worker for English Language Learners

: a person who does a particular job to earn money
: a person who is actively involved in a particular activity
: a person whose job does not involve managing other people

WORKER Defined for Kids

worker

play

noun work·er \ ˈwər-kər \

Definition of worker for Students

1 :a person who works

cafeteria workers

He's a good worker.

2 :one of the members of a colony of bees, ants, wasps, or termites that do most of the work of the colony

Learn More about worker

See words that rhyme with worker Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for worker Spanish Central: Translation of worker Nglish: Translation of worker for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of worker for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about worker

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up worker? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

worker

Definition of worker

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of worker in a Sentence

Recent Examples of worker from the Web

First Known Use of worker

worker Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to WORKER

Related Phrases

WORKER Defined for English Language Learners

worker

Definition of worker for English Language Learners

WORKER Defined for Kids

worker

Definition of worker for Students

Learn More about worker

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066