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View synonyms for

employer

[ em-ploi-er ]

noun

  1. a person or business that employs one or more people, especially for wages or salary:

    a fair employer.

  2. a person or thing that makes use of or occupies someone or something:

    an inadequate employer of one's time.



employer

/ ɪˈɔɪə /

noun

  1. a person, business, firm, etc, that employs workers
  2. a person who employs; user
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • e·Dzİ noun
  • e·Dzİ adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of employer1

First recorded in 1590–1600; employ + -er 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Her employer, a live music and event production company based in New York, brought employees back to the office four days a week once pandemic restrictions were lifted.

From

Others have speculated that they may have been willing recruits into the ranks of organized crime, which is among Mexico’s largest employers.

From

A 2024 Gallup poll suggests that the high turnover across all sectors in the U.S. is preventable — if employers work harder to check in with employees about job satisfaction.

From

It said its decisions, including to raise employer NICs, were necessary to "stabilise the public finances" to fund services like the NHS.

From

In March, the 43-year-old Hayward resident was caught off guard when he learned his employer, payment company Square, was eliminating his role as a development and operations engineer because of a reorganization.

From

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More About Employer

doesemployer mean?

An employer is a person, company, or organization that employs people—pays them for work.

The people who are paid to work are called employees. Employers provide employment.

Less commonly, employer can mean something that occupies someone or someone that uses something (the word employ can also mean to use), as in Be a good employer of your time.

Example: If the factory closes, thousands of people will lose their jobs—it’s the largest employer in the county.

Where doesemployer come from?

The first records of the word employer come from right around 1600. The base word, employ, ultimately derives from the Latin , meaning “to engage.” The word employee came later, with the suffix -ee indicating a person who is the object or beneficiary of employment.

While employees are often seen as the ones getting this benefit—and the benefits that sometimes come with it, such as health insurance—the employee-employer relationship is based on an exchange. The employer exchanges money for work done. This exchange is often formalized through some kind of contract or employment agreement, and both employee and employer are often used in the context of official situations like this. Typically, a person must have an employer to be considered an employee.

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms related to employer?

are some words that share a root or word element with employer?

are some words that often get used in discussing employer?

How isemployer used in real life?

Regardless of how people think about their employer, the word itself is used in a neutral way.

Try usingemployer!

Which of the following people has an employer?

A. a paid staff member
B. an unemployed person
C. a self-employed person
D. a volunteer

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employee associationemployers' association