English Reference
Noun

employee

n. countable
A2 Elementary Oxford US /ɛmˈpɫɔɪi/ UK /ɛmplˈɔɪiː/ em·ploy·ee UK spelling employee's, employee's

n.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.

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


SIMPLE

The company has over fifty employees.

CONTEXTUAL

Every new employee must attend a safety training session before they start working in the factory.

COMPLEX

The management team introduced a new bonus scheme designed to improve employee retention and boost overall morale during the busy winter season.

Usage

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

Don't confuse

employee vs employer — An employee is the person who gets paid to work, while an employer is the person or company that pays them.

Pitfall
The company has many employs.The company has many employees.

Learners sometimes use the verb 'employ' as a noun instead of the correct noun form 'employee'.


From employ + -ee. First attested in the early 19th century, possibly modeled after French employé.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin French employé
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Common
Updated