employee
em-ploy-EE/ˌɛmplɔɪˈiː/
Pluralemployees
- 1A person who has a paid job with a company, organization, or another person.
Like a player on a team who works under a coach.
Each employee at the store wears a name badge.
The company gave its employees a raise this year.
UsageThe person who works is the employee. The person or company they work for is the employer.
Oppositeemployer
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Origin
It comes from "employ" plus "-ee." It was first used in the early 1800s, maybe based on the French word "employé."
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- The word was formed from employ plus -ee. en.wiktionary.org
- The word is first attested in the early 1800s. en.wiktionary.org
- The formation may have been based on French employé. en.wiktionary.org