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employee
/ɪmˈplɔɪ.iː/
person employed for wages
The company hired 50 new employees last month.
The company added 50 staff members to its workforce.
formal
a person who works for another person or for a company in return for wages or a salary
Full-time employees receive health insurance benefits.
Staff working 40+ hours per week are eligible for medical coverage.
The employee handbook outlines company policies.
The manual for staff explains workplace rules.
Used in business, HR, and legal contexts to distinguish from freelancers or contractors.
Collocations
full-time employeeworker employed for standard hourspart-time employeeworker employed for fewer than standard hourspermanent employeestaff with no fixed end date of employmentemployee benefitsnon-wage compensations like insurance or pensionsemployee turnoverrate at which staff leave and are replaced
Synonyms
Pro Tip
Pluralization
The plural is 'employees' (not 'emploies' or 'employs').
Gold Rule
Employee vs. Contractor
An employee works under company control (hours, tools, methods) and receives benefits. A contractor operates independently with their own business structure.
Word Origin
From Middle English 'emploien' (to employ) + '-ee' suffix indicating 'one who is acted upon', from Old French 'employer' (to employ), ultimately from Latin 'implicare' (to enfold, engage).
Usage Notes
Always refers to someone receiving payment for labor. Avoid using for volunteers or unpaid interns. In legal documents, 'employee' implies a formal employer-employee relationship with tax implications.
Word Breakdown
employ
to give work to someone in exchange for pay
root-ee
suffix indicating 'one who receives the action'
suffixEnglish Dictionary