employee

noun

em·​ploy·​ee im-ˌplȯ(i)-ˈē How to pronounce employee (audio)
(ˌ)em-;
im-ˈplȯ(i)-ˌē How to pronounce employee (audio)
em-
variants or less commonly employe
Synonyms of employeenext
: one employed by another usually for wages or salary and in a position below the executive level

Synonyms

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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Federal judges have also ruled that the administration’s firing of probationary employees did not follow the appropriate procedures for layoffs and that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management lacked the authority to order the firings. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2025 Almost 90,000 federal employees live in Illinois, according to estimates by the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute. — Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025 More: How Trump and Musk have sought greater control over federal employees In the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, government lawyers and other officials contend Trump's billionaire adviser Elon Musk had no oversight of the changes. — Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025 Modern Health points out that managers are on the front lines of employee well-being, yet most feel unprepared to support their teams. — Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for employee

Word History

Etymology

employ entry 1 + -ee entry 1, perhaps after French employé

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of employee was in 1822

Browse Nearby Words

employable
employee
employer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Employee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/employee. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

employee

noun
em·​ploy·​ee im-ˌplȯi-ˈē How to pronounce employee (audio) (ˌ)em- How to pronounce employee (audio)
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.

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Nglish: Translation of employee for Spanish Speakers

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