# employee

/ɛmˈpɫɔɪi/ (US) · /ɛmplˈɔɪiː/ (UK) · CEFR A2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/employee
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Definition

a person who is paid to work for a company or another person. You are an employee if you have a boss and receive a regular salary.

For teachers: a person employed for wages or salary, especially at non-executive level. Often contrasted with 'employer' or 'contractor'.

## Examples

- The company has over fifty employees.
- Every new employee must attend a safety training session before they start working in the factory.
- The management team introduced a new bonus scheme designed to improve employee retention and boost overall morale during the busy winter season.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The company has many employs." but "The company has many employees." — Learners sometimes use the verb 'employ' as a noun instead of the correct noun form 'employee'.

## Usage notes

- Commonly paired with 'full-time', 'part-time', or 'former'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.