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

Its operations now span more than 20 sites across Brevard and Orange counties, supported by over 5,000 employees and 500 suppliers. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026

The video showed the employee tossing the cash onto the front counter before the suspect grabbed the money and stuffed it into his pocket. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026

The situation is similar for business owners cashing out and executives with hefty stock compensation packages, and for employees at firms that have gone public in recent years. — Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Netflix strongly encourages employees to take a portion of their pay in the form of equity, but with shares down more than 45 percent from a year ago employees who have done so are feeling the pain. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 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.