worker

American  

[wur-ker] / ˈwɜr kər /

noun

1. a person or thing that works.

2. a laborer or employee.

   steel workers.

3. a person engaged in a particular field, activity, or cause.

   a worker in psychological research; a worker for the Republican Party.

4. Entomology.

   1. a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped, nonreproductive bees, specialized to collect food and maintain the hive.

   2. a similar member of a specialized caste of ants, termites, or wasps.

5. Printing. one of a set of electrotyped plates used to print from (contrasted with molder).

6. any of several rollers covered with card clothing that work in combination with the stripper rollers and the cylinder in the carding of fibers.

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worker British  

/ ˈwɜːkə /

noun

1. a person or thing that works, usually at a specific job

   a good worker

   a research worker

2. an employee in an organization, as opposed to an employer or manager

3. a manual labourer or other employee working in a manufacturing or other industry

4. any other member of the working class

5. a sterile female member of a colony of bees, ants, or wasps that forages for food, cares for the larvae, etc

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Other Word Forms

• nonworker
  noun
• subworker
  noun
• workerless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of worker

First recorded in 1300–50, worker is from the Middle English word werker, worcher. See work, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Poornima, a salt pan worker, sips black tea during the day -- saying the hot drink induces sweating in the dry weather to cool the body.

From Barron's • May 10, 2026

Juan, who was a field worker and cook at a Chinese restaurant at the time, wooed and married Michelle, who was then a Lowe’s cashier, there after meeting in 2008.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

Stocks and profits would fall but the average worker, who depends more on wages than wealth, would be barely affected.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

A newer worker could find it harder to climb a corporate ladder missing some rungs because it could be a difficult jump to jobs with greater responsibility.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

The social worker was clueless to the fact that Superman was a fraud, because she called to let Mom know that Dad was going to keep Jonah with him to “keep him safe.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• employee
• laborer
• staff