worker

noun

ˈwər-kər How to pronounce worker (audio)
Definition of workernext
1
as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work a champion of the rights of the farm workers who pick the nation's fruits and vegetables

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in employee
one who works for another for wages or a salary a factory owner who is known for his fair and generous treatment of his workers

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of worker Sporting Wichita Academy said the tragedy had shaken a soccer community built around families and teammates, thanking first responders, medical workers and bystanders who stepped in to help. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 Four days before Christmas in 1951, a methane build-up in a West Frankfort mine caused an explosion that killed 119 workers, mostly from the Benton area. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 Broad concern has grown about how autonomous systems, including robotaxis, delivery robots, and AI agents, are impacting jobs, especially for lower-skill workers. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026 The two men speak for seven minutes, but their conversation goes to places that discussions with co-workers, friends and families rarely do. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for worker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worker
  1. laborer
  2. employee
  3. slave
Noun
  • In the previous decades, Japan had brought in many Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese laborers, often under duress, to work in factories and mines, usually in atrocious conditions.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • When his son suddenly turns up alive and well, Mark and his psychiatrist wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), realize that the kidnapper accidentally took the child of Ramón (Luis Gerardo Méndez), their housekeeper’s undocumented day-laborer boyfriend.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of laborer
Noun
  • Such a promise needs to be written down, with a way for employees to challenge a broken commitment.
    — Christoph Trattner, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • In an interview with Inside Edition on Tuesday, store owner Adam Rubin said that his store has been review-bombed since Clarkson took to social media and named the store, and employees and surrounding businesses have been harassed.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of employee
Noun
  • In slaveholding societies divided between Black and white, Jews were perceived as white and enjoyed the benefits of whiteness – including participation in the slave economy.
    — Ashley Walters, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The idea of animals as slaves of their instincts or mindless automatons evaporates.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of slave

Phrases Containing worker

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worked up
worker
workers
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Cite this Entry

“Worker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worker. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on worker

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about worker

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