worker
/ˈwɜːkə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈwɜːrkər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈwər-kər/ (ame, mw)
worker — noun
- workersingular
- workersplural
1. a person with a paid role in a specific field or function — such as a health wor
a person with a paid role in a specific field or function — such as a health worker, a research worker, or an office worker handling daily paperwork.
The research worker spent three years collecting data from patients.
worker + in [field] — research worker is a common compound
Vivek started as a kitchen worker and later became the head chef.
worker + at [place] — kitchen worker
Social workers visit families to check that children are safe at home.
A skilled worker can complete the task in half the usual time.
The office workers left the building when the fire alarm went off.
- employee
focuses on being hired by an employer, not on the type of task
- staff member
more formal and suggests being part of a team or organization
- laborer
emphasizes physical work; narrower than worker
- operative
more technical; used in manufacturing or skilled trades
文法句型
worker + in [field/industry]
worker + at [place]
常見錯誤
2. a person hired by a business or factory to carry out physical or repetitive task
a person hired by a business or factory to carry out physical or repetitive tasks, not to supervise others — for instance, a factory worker running a machine or a construction worker hauling materials.
The factory workers voted to go on strike for better pay.
factory workers — common compound in labor contexts
Amani got a job as a warehouse worker stacking boxes on shelves.
The company promised to hire more workers for the night shift.
Construction workers wear hard hats to protect their heads on site.
Otis trained the new workers on how to use the safety equipment.
- boss
informal; the person in charge of workers
- management
the group that makes decisions about workers
文法句型
workers + verb (plural)
the workers — referring to a group
用法筆記
This sense is frequently used in the plural (the workers) to refer to the entire non-management workforce of a company or industry. In news and union contexts, 'workers' contrasts with 'management' or 'employers'.
常見錯誤
3. the social class whose members have very little property or wealth and earn mone
the social class whose members have very little property or wealth and earn money through manual or low-wage labour — commonly used in political or economic discussion, almost always in the plural form 'workers'.
The party said it would fight for the rights of workers across the country.
the rights of workers — political/social framing
Heloísa's family of workers has lived in the same town for five generations.
In the nineteenth century, workers often lived in small houses next to the factories.
The new law is meant to protect workers from unsafe working conditions.
Workers around the world faced job losses during the economic crisis.
- working class
the full sociological term for this social group
- proletariat
academic or Marxist term; much more formal than 'workers'
- labour force
economic term for all people available for work
- wage earners
emphasizes that these people are paid wages (not salaries)
- capitalists
people who own businesses and capital, contrasted in class analysis
- upper class
the highest social class, with inherited wealth and power
文法句型
the workers — social/political class
workers' + rights/interests/movement
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: sense 2 refers to a person's role within a specific company, while sense 3 refers to a broad social, economic, or political class. Sense 3 is almost always used in the plural and often appears with words like 'rights', 'class', 'movement', 'struggle'.
常見錯誤
4. a female bee, ant, wasp, or similar insect that does most of the colony's tasks
a female bee, ant, wasp, or similar insect that does most of the colony's tasks — such as gathering food, building the nest, and caring for the young — but does not reproduce.
The worker bees carry pollen from flower to flower all day.
worker bee — most common compound
In an ant colony, the workers build tunnels and defend the entrance.
Sivan watched a single worker ant drag a dead beetle across the path.
Without enough workers, the hive cannot store food for the winter.
A wasp colony has hundreds of workers that feed the young wasps.
文法句型
worker + bee/ant/wasp/termite
用法筆記
This sense is restricted to biology contexts about social insects. The word is almost always paired with the insect name: 'worker bee', 'worker ant', 'worker wasp', etc. 'Worker' alone is uncommon; readers expect the insect name to follow.