employer
Americannoun
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a person or business that employs one or more people, especially for wages or salary.
a fair employer.
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a person or thing that makes use of or occupies someone or something.
an inadequate employer of one's time.
noun
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a person, business, firm, etc, that employs workers
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a person who employs; user
Usage
What does employer mean? An employer is a person, company, or organization that employs people—pays them for work. The people who are paid to work are called employees. Employers provide employment. Less commonly, employer can mean something that occupies someone or someone that uses something (the word employ can also mean to use), as in Be a good employer of your time. Example: If the factory closes, thousands of people will lose their jobs—it’s the largest employer in the county.
Other Word Forms
- preemployer noun
- proemployer adjective
Etymology
Origin of employer
Explanation
An employer is the person or organization that you work for. Can't find a job? Look at the bright side: you don't have to cater to the whims of any employer! The verb employ means "to make use of." An employer hires an employee, or worker, in order to employ him at various tasks. A factory owner is an employer who might hire people to work on an assembly line. If you're a teacher, then your school is your employer. If you’re lucky enough to have a generous employer, then you’ll probably want to stay at your job for a while!
Vocabulary lists containing employer
Like A Boss: Words for the Person in Charge
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 2
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Vocabulary for the Naturalization Interview
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Granado-Gomez, a 25-year-old cook in Phoenix, checked “exempt” on the tax form that tells his employer whether to withhold money from his paycheck for federal income taxes.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026
She said her employer had been supportive but "societally" she felt pressure to go back to work.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
Yet they have to correct for a yearslong decline in employer response rates to BLS surveys—which does not negate the data overall, but certainly makes preliminary calculations a bit more unsteady and speculative.
From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026
Fifty years ago, Steve Wozniak knew he built a great personal computer, but the young engineer couldn’t convince his employer, Hewlett-Packard, to buy into the big idea.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
A perceptive young man, Lopsang was extremely devoted to Fischer; the Sherpa understood how important it was to his friend and employer to get Pittman to the summit.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
