employer

American  

[em-ploi-er] / ɛmˈplɔɪ ər /

noun

employers plural

1. a person or business that employs one or more people, especially for wages or salary.

   a fair employer.

2. a person or thing that makes use of or occupies someone or something.

   an inadequate employer of one's time.

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employer British  

/ ɪmˈplɔɪə /

noun

1. a person, business, firm, etc, that employs workers

2. a person who employs; user

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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

Derived Forms

• preemployer
  noun
• proemployer
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• employers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of employer

First recorded in 1590–1600; employ + -er ¹

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!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

employer employers

Rana’s most recent employer, the private-equity firm Bregal Sagemount, terminated his employment in the beginning of April, a company spokeswoman previously told the Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Her employer, Clay, scaled back work for a week so employees could travel to this retreat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

He said pubs had been hit by a mix of employer National Insurance increases, the rising minimum wage, high inflation and the climbing cost of living.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Employee and employer contributions can’t exceed $72,000 in 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

There’s no intermediate point in the process in which you confront the potential employer as a free agent, entitled to cut her own deal.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

The government said it would be working with regional mayors, local leaders, schools, colleges and employers to deliver its plans nationally.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Major employers largely held back on adding people due to economic uncertainties or a belief that artificial intelligence could shoulder more tasks on the job.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

"They will be able to spend time with employers and gain real-world experience," it said.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

For employers, the challenge is not only finding workers, but replacing years of experience.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

The Indianapolis Star wrote about Russell Pickett a lot because his company was one of Indiana’s biggest employers, but also because he was constantly getting sued.

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

Related Words

• boss
• company
• corporation
• entrepreneur
• executive
• firm
• management
• manager
• manufacturer
• organization
• owner