employer

[em-ploi-er]

noun

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.

employer

/ ɪmˈplɔɪə /

noun

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

2. a person who employs; user

Other Word Forms

• preemployer noun
• proemployer adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of employer¹

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

Example Sentences

There is widespread evidence that employers taken some or all of such steps in the last year, following previous hikes and tax rises.

Read more on BBC

We asked six workplace-design gurus to envision how architects and employers will try to fix what irks many workers about the office today:

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She claimed a "black hole" in the nation's finances meant winter fuel payments would have to be axed for millions of pensioners and National Insurance hiked for employers.

Read more on BBC

Another use case for this strategy is for portfolios concentrated in just a single highly appreciated stock, a common scenario for executives compensated with stock shares by their employers.

Read more on Barron's

Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee joined Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander at a meeting with Fife Council, trade unions and local employers earlier.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.