employee

noun

em·​ploy·​ee im-ˌplȯ(i)-ˈē 

(ˌ)em-;

im-ˈplȯ(i)-ˌē 

em-

variants or less commonly employe

: one employed by another usually for wages or salary and in a position below the executive level

Synonyms

• hand
• hireling
• jobholder
• retainer
• worker

Examples of employee in a Sentence

A good boss listens to his employees.

The company has more than 2,000 employees worldwide.

Recent Examples on the Web

Thieves disguise themselves as workers dispatched to tear up underground cables, or bribe actual power company employees, or just show up brandishing guns and use four-wheel-drive trucks to rip cables out of the ground. —Vince Beiser, WIRED, 22 Aug. 2024

Weeks ago, a South Florida school district voted to give a 10-day suspension to an employee accused of allowing her transgender daughter to play on a girls’ high school volleyball team in 2022 and 2023 in violation of state law. —Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 18 Aug. 2024

This would be determined by averaging the employee’s tips and wages paid during the payroll period. —Madeline Armstrong | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 18 Aug. 2024

Burnout, fueled in part by the app, helped inspire some employees to unionize, beginning in 2021. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

employ entry 1 + -ee entry 1, perhaps after French employé

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

employee

noun

em·​ploy·​ee im-ˌplȯi-ˈē  (ˌ)em- 

im-ˈplȯi-ˌē,

em-

: one who works for another for wages or a salary

Legal Definition

employee

noun

em·​ploy·​ee

variants also employe

: a person usually below the executive level who is hired by another to perform a service especially for wages or salary and is under the other's control see also respondeat superior compare independent contractor

Note: In determining whether an individual is an employee, courts look at several factors, including the nature of the compensation paid, provision for employee benefits, whether the hired party is in business, tax treatment of the hired party, source of the equipment used, and location of the work. Statutes, such as workers' compensation acts and labor laws, usually include a definition of employee as it is used in the statute.