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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
To supplement what I did have, I would show up to interviews with self-published articles and story pitches that might appeal to the employer I was interviewing with.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
How to get experience if no one is willing to be your first employer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026
We even got the comedy of the dubiously banned-from-soccer ex-FIFA boss Sepp Blatter soliloquizing about the integrity of his former employer.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
For those returning to work who want to breastfeed, the NHS recommends, external telling your employer that you're breastfeeding before your first day back.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
His employer was well pleased with his work, he would be well looked after and I had no cause for his anxiety.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
