employee

American  

[em-ploi-ee, em-ploi-ee] / ɛmˈplɔɪ i, ˌɛm plɔɪˈi /

Rarely employe,

noun

1. a person working for another person or a business firm for pay.

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employee British  

/ ˌɛmplɔɪˈiː, ɛmˈplɔɪiː /

noun

1. Also called (esp formerly): employé.  a person who is hired to work for another or for a business, firm, etc, in return for payment

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Usage

What does employee mean? An employee is someone who gets paid to work for a person or company.Workers don’t need to work full time to be considered employees—they simply need to be paid to work by an employer (the person or business that pays them). The term employee is sometimes used to distinguish contract workers from full employees (who often earn additional benefits), but in this example, both types of workers are considered employees in the general sense.Example: My company has more than 500 employees.

Other Word Forms

• preemployee noun
• proemployee adjective

Etymology

Origin of employee

First recorded in 1825–35; from French employé “employed,” past participle of employer to employ; -ee

Example Sentences

Kaiser says AI could save employees from tedious, time-consuming tasks such as taking notes and paperwork.

From Los Angeles Times

One handwritten note, signed by “A DHS employee,” stated: “We will never forget you.”

From Los Angeles Times

It was noted there were employees on site at the time, but no one was hurt - although damage to property was caused.

From BBC

After 12 years with The Wall Street Journal, this is my final column and video as a full-time employee.

From The Wall Street Journal

This idea should be at the heart of every business decision, Corcoran added, saying that “hiring happy people” is a big step toward ensuring the success of a company—and the well-being of its employees.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• agent
• attendant
• clerk
• laborer
• member
• operator
• representative
• staff member
• worker