coworker
Americannoun
Usage
What does coworker mean? A coworker is your fellow employee, especially a person you work closely with. The words worker and coworker both refer to paid employees. Even if you work closely with your fellow students or volunteers, you would not call them your coworkers. Example: I spent most of my first day meeting my coworkers who work in the same department.
Etymology
Origin of coworker
Compare meaning
How does coworker compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
That Russell was a beloved son, brother, friend and coworker comes through fiercely in Patricia E. Gillespie’s film, as does the utterly bewildered state in which Russell’s action left his family, friends and colleagues.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
I can’t speak for your coworker as to his reasoning but the converse of what I just wrote gives hints as to why some people may leave their funds with their former employer’s plan.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 15, 2026
If you rub a coworker the wrong way, expect them to undermine you when your back is turned.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 3, 2025
Having the legal right to say “no” means little when there’s every reason to worry your coworker will try to make your work life hell for rejecting them.
From Salon • Aug. 1, 2025
One behind Callie, El’s coworker, who is waving her to come over.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
