employer

noun

em·​ploy·​er im-ˈplȯi-ər 

em-

plural employers

: one that employs or makes use of something or somebody

… it is one of the most aggressive employers of the dreaded pop-up ads that effloresce across one's video screen like a sudden and unpleasant rash …

—Christopher Orr

especially : a person or company that provides a job paying wages or a salary to one or more people

Private household workers usually work in pleasant and comfortable homes or apartments. Most are dayworkers who live in their own homes and travel to work. Some live in the home of their employer, generally with their own room and bath.

—Occupational Outlook Handbook

One of Hiroshima's main contributions to the post-war economic miracle of Japan is the Mazda car plant, the single largest employer in Hiroshima.

—Michael Dillon

… choose a classic health-insurance plan—if your employer still makes one available.

—Laura Johannes

Outside of the public sector and unionized shops, salaries in North America have long been considered a private matter between employer and employee.

—Amanda Stephenson

Examples of employer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those killed included a number of elderly residents, foreign domestic workers who lived with their employers – many of which are older people or families with children –– construction workers and a firefighter who had been deployed to the scene. —Chris Lau, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025

And a church volunteer and domestic worker from the Philippines who gave her name only as Lauren, described a small family of foreign workers deliberately locked in a house by their employer who fled during the fighting. —NPR, 1 Dec. 2025

In 2025, 49% of large employers covered GLP-1 medications, up from 44% in 2024 and 41% in 2023. —Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 1 Dec. 2025

But perhaps the most frustrating part is that under current guidance, if your employer doesn't offer a Roth 401(k) option, you won't be allowed to make catch-up contributions at all. —Steve Hruby, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

employ entry 1 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing employer

• equal opportunities employer
• equal opportunity employer

Rhymes for employer

• destroyer
• foyer
• oyer
• multiemployer

Kids Definition

employer

noun

em·​ploy·​er

im-ˈplȯi(-ə)r

: one that employs others

Legal Definition

employer

noun

em·​ploy·​er

: one that hires others to perform a service or engage in an activity in exchange for compensation see also respondeat superior