worker

[ wur-ker ]

noun

1. a person or thing that works.
2. a laborer or employee:

   steel workers.

3. a person engaged in a particular field, activity, or cause:

   a worker in psychological research; a worker for the Republican Party.

4. Entomology.
   1. a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped, nonreproductive bees, specialized to collect food and maintain the hive.
   2. a similar member of a specialized caste of ants, termites, or wasps.
5. Printing. one of a set of electrotyped plates used to print from ( molder ² ).
6. any of several rollers covered with card clothing that work in combination with the stripper rollers and the cylinder in the carding of fibers.

worker

/ ˈwɜːkə /

noun

1. a person or thing that works, usually at a specific job

   a good worker

   a research worker

2. an employee in an organization, as opposed to an employer or manager
3. a manual labourer or other employee working in a manufacturing or other industry
4. any other member of the working class
5. a sterile female member of a colony of bees, ants, or wasps that forages for food, cares for the larvae, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈworkerless, adjective

Other Words From

• non·worker noun
• sub·worker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of worker¹

First recorded in 1300–50, worker is from the Middle English word werker, worcher. See work, -er ¹

Example Sentences

The work stoppage, which affects service and patient care workers at all UC campuses and medical facilities, will continue until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times

“We can not solve the housing crisis by driving construction workers into poverty,” carpenter Nicolas Reyes told committee members.

From Los Angeles Times

Hegseth has no experience that suggests he could lead a department with more than three million workers.

From Salon

Since winning power, Labour has agreed above-inflation pay deals for workers including doctors and train drivers in an attempt to end long-running strikes.

From BBC

However, Mr Dujarric said the aid workers were forced to offload all the food supplies and some of the medical supplies they were transporting at an Israeli military checkpoint before reaching the hospital.

From BBC

Related Words

• employee
• laborer
• staff