worker
Americannoun
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a person or thing that works.
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a laborer or employee.
steel workers.
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a person engaged in a particular field, activity, or cause.
a worker in psychological research; a worker for the Republican Party.
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Entomology.
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a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped, nonreproductive bees, specialized to collect food and maintain the hive.
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a similar member of a specialized caste of ants, termites, or wasps.
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Printing. one of a set of electrotyped plates used to print from (contrasted with molder).
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any of several rollers covered with card clothing that work in combination with the stripper rollers and the cylinder in the carding of fibers.
noun
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a person or thing that works, usually at a specific job
a good worker
a research worker
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an employee in an organization, as opposed to an employer or manager
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a manual labourer or other employee working in a manufacturing or other industry
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any other member of the working class
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a sterile female member of a colony of bees, ants, or wasps that forages for food, cares for the larvae, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of worker
First recorded in 1300–50, worker is from the Middle English word werker, worcher. See work, -er 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
His win comes as a growing number of blue worker collars in China have in recent years been making their mark in the literary world.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Unified’s already adopted plan calls for more than 6,000 job reductions, slashing up to $500 million per year in extra services for schools with the greatest needs and seven unpaid furlough days for each worker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
"It required too much funding... the amount of capital needed was just too large," a worker involved in the project told AFP on Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Automakers and robotics-industry officials argue that worker fears about job displacement through robots and AI are overblown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
If the social worker had been trying to make him feel good, he ruined it by inserting words like judge and hearing into the conversation.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Colonies depend on workers bringing back a steady supply of nectar and pollen through the summer.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
"This merger is lawful, pro-competitive, and will benefit consumers, creators, workers, and the entertainment industry," the Paramount spokesperson said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Preston had been taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital three times before his death and seen by a "battery of professionals" including medical staff, social workers and welfare officers from various bodies.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Boeing’s benefits don’t stop with a good match—it is among a growing group of employers that allow workers to receive matching contributions for some of their student-loan payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
But in the confusion of the moment his command was garbled, and nearly 650 workers clambered onto buses and immediately evacuated to Fukushima Daini, about 6 miles away.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.