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

Salary transparency is also a must-have for employers now. —Byemma Burleigh, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024

What makes working at Churchill Downs Inc. a unique experience when compared to other major employers in the state? —Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 24 Oct. 2024

Occupying both sides of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal and crisscrossed by bridges, the city counts a shipyard, a hospital, and several small manufacturing firms among its major employers. —Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2024

The solution for Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest company by revenue (and the top of this year’s Fortune 500 Europe) and Germany’s biggest employer, is to dig into its cost base. —Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 23 Oct. 2024

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

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