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

The president also signed an executive order banning federal employees from working remotely on Monday, which may be part of a strategy to gut the federal workforce and replace vacancies with workers who are explicitly loyal to Trump. —Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025

The couple alleges that they were racially profiled by employees of the airline after Williams, a Black man, was accused of trafficking his own wife, Shasholka, a Russian national. —Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 2025

In fact, 75% of employees are already using generative AI in some form on the job. —Tor Constantino, Mba, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

The policy clearly states an employee should not try to stop a federal agent from arresting someone. —Rosa Flores, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025

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.