employer

noun

em·​ploy·​er im-ˈplȯi-ər 

em-

plural employers

: one that employs or makes use of something or somebody

… it is one of the most aggressive employers of the dreaded pop-up ads that effloresce across one's video screen like a sudden and unpleasant rash …

—Christopher Orr

especially : a person or company that provides a job paying wages or a salary to one or more people

Private household workers usually work in pleasant and comfortable homes or apartments. Most are dayworkers who live in their own homes and travel to work. Some live in the home of their employer, generally with their own room and bath.

—Occupational Outlook Handbook

One of Hiroshima's main contributions to the post-war economic miracle of Japan is the Mazda car plant, the single largest employer in Hiroshima.

—Michael Dillon

… choose a classic health-insurance plan—if your employer still makes one available.

—Laura Johannes

Examples of employer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Forbes publishes a variety of rankings, including the best employers and the richest people. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025

Kennedy says employers are asking for more than just technical fluency. —Samantha Walravens, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

In recent years, response rates to the monthly government surveys of employers and households that form the basis of the jobs report have dropped; the figures are also subject to random sampling error and subsequent revisions as fresh data come in. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

That has caused workers to stay put in their jobs as uncertainty over inflation and economic growth has caused employers to be cautious about growing payrolls. —Jeff Cox, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

employ entry 1 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing employer

• equal opportunities employer
• equal opportunity employer

Rhymes for employer

• destroyer
• foyer
• oyer
• multiemployer

Kids Definition

employer

noun

em·​ploy·​er

im-ˈplȯi(-ə)r

: one that employs others

Legal Definition

employer

noun

em·​ploy·​er

: one that hires others to perform a service or engage in an activity in exchange for compensation see also respondeat superior