employee

[ em-ploi-ee, em-ploi-ee ]

/ ɛmˈplɔɪ i, ˌɛm plɔɪˈi /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: employee / employees on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Rarely em·ploy·e, em·ploy·é .

Origin of employee

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

OTHER WORDS FROM employee

pre·em·ploy·ee, nounpro·em·ploy·ee, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use employee in a sentence

“The cyber attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment was not just an attack against a company and its employees,” he said.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Employees strap a device to their heads and power a helicopter drone with their minds.
Use Your Brain—Control a Drone|The Daily Beast Video|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Park employees helped John quit tobacco by way of a butts-proof glass enclosure, a drastic change in diet, and regular exercise.
Zebra Finches, Dolphins, Elephants, and More Animals Under the Influence|Bill Schulz|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Yoo and Lee were arrested for the bombing and the snakes, Korean film employees staged protests demanding their release.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He noted that some retail stores that benefit from Christmas sales still instruct employees to wish customers “Happy Holidays.”
A Field General in the War on Christmas|David Freedlander|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Competing stores needlessly occupy the time of hundreds of thousands of employees in a mixture of idleness and industry.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
One of my first duties was to examine the line and the employees p. 96at each station.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
It was managed by a committee of twelve, half of whom were appointed by the directors and half by the employees.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
My business was to furnish facts concerning the hours of duty of the employees on my own railway and the conditions of their work.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Government employees may secure patents on inventions made by them during their employment, after their relationship has ceased.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles

British Dictionary definitions for employee

employee

sometimes US employe

/ (ɛmˈplɔɪiː, ˌɛmplɔɪˈiː) /

noun

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

employee

Origin of employee

OTHER WORDS FROM employee

Words related to employee

How to use employee in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for employee

sometimes US employe