coworkers

coworkers — noun

1. a person who works alongside you in the same company, office, or organization

1.nounA2
Definition

a person who works alongside you in the same company, office, or organization

Example

Esteban invited two coworkers from the marketing team to the training session.

coworker + from + [team/department]

Xiu and her coworker Amira planned the office holiday party together.

coworker + [name] in apposition

Common collocations
  • my coworker / her coworker / their coworkers
  • a coworker from [department / team / floor]
  • former coworker
  • new coworker
  • close coworker
Synonyms
  • colleague

    more formal; can refer to someone in the same profession at a different workplace

  • workmate

    informal, chiefly British English, more common in blue-collar settings

  • teammate

    more specific — someone on the same project or team, not necessarily in the same office

Grammar Patterns

a coworker + [optional: from + department/team]

my/her/his/their coworker(s)

Usage Note

Unlike colleague, which can refer to someone in the same profession even at a different company, coworker almost always means someone at the same workplace. Frequently used with possessives (my coworker, her coworkers).

Common Mistakes

I and my coworker went to the meeting.
My coworker and I went to the meeting.
English puts others before yourself in compound subjects.
She is a coworker friend of mine.
She is a coworker of mine.' or 'She is my friend at work.
'coworker' already describes the work relationship; adding 'friend' is redundant unless needed for emphasis.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all describe people connected to you through work, but with different scope and register. Coworker is the most neutral and widely used term for someone in the same workplace; it is common in both spoken and written English. Colleague is more formal and broader — it can describe a fellow professional in the same field even if they work at a different hospital, university, or company (e.g., 'a colleague from a rival firm'). Workmate is informal and mainly British, often used among manual or trade workers ('my workmate on the construction site'). Teammate is the narrowest — it refers specifically to people on the same project, shift, or team, and is common in office contexts ('a teammate on the product launch'). In most everyday workplace conversations, coworker is the safest choice: 'I asked a coworker to cover my shift.'

colleague ↗workmateteammate ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishEnglish

Coworker is formed by combining the prefix co-, meaning 'together' (from Latin cum 'with, together'), with the noun worker (from Old English weorcere 'one who works'). The word has been in use since the 1640s and was originally written with a hyphen (co-worker); the unhyphenated spelling coworker became standard in the late 20th century.

First known use

1591

1591, in the meaning defined above