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
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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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -er, -or
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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.
Savage reached out to a colleague at her employer, the University of Mississippi, after remembering that person’s department typically hired high-schoolers during the summer.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
"That is what a responsible employer should do, and I am proud that our track record in supporting internal transitions is strong."
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Behind the dry legal interpretation of a decades-old treaty lies a heated battle between unions and employer groups at the ILO that played out in hearings in October 2025.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
SpaceX employed 7,661 people in Hawthorne as of June 30, 2025, according to the city’s most recent financial report, which makes the company the largest single employer in Hawthorne.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
But I doubt they could of said anything even if he hadn’t been Mama’s papa and Papa’s employer.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
