Meaning & use
employers
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“employers” is a form of “employer”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
Plural of employer: people or organizations that pay others to work for them.
Grammar: Plural noun; use a plural verb: 'Employers are hiring.' The singular is employer.
Patterns
- employers hire workers
- large employers
- employers and employees
- a good employer
Many employers now offer flexible working hours.
The law requires employers to provide a safe workplace.
Small employers often struggle to compete with big companies.
Word forms
| singular | employer |
|---|
Common combinations
- large employers
- Large employers dominate the local job market.
- employers and employees
- The meeting brought together employers and employees.
- a prospective employer
- She sent her resume to several prospective employers.
- employer contributions
- Employer contributions to the pension are generous.
- equal opportunities employer
- The company describes itself as an equal opportunities employer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bosses
- Bosses is informal and refers to managers, not necessarily the company that pays you.
- companies
- Companies can be employers, but the word does not focus on the paying relationship.
Opposites
Word family
- employ verb
- To pay someone to work for you.
- employee noun
- A person who is paid to work for someone else.
- employment noun
- The state of having paid work.
- unemployed adjective
- Without a paid job.
Commonly confused: employers or employee?
employers vs employee
An employer pays others to work; an employee is the person who is paid. The -er ending usually marks the doer.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'employers' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Employers is plural, so it takes the plural verb are. Option 0 uses a singular verb with a plural noun, and option 2 uses a singular noun with a plural verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “employers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.