er
1 of 5interjection
ˈə 
usually with prolonged vowel
ˈä nonstandard
ˈər —used to express hesitation
Er
2 of 5symbol
erbium
ER
3 of 5abbreviation
1
earned run
2
emergency room
-er
4 of 5adjective suffix or adverb suffix
—used to form the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs of one syllable
hotterdrier
and of some adjectives and adverbs of two or more syllables completerbeautifuller
-er
5 of 5noun suffix
variants or less commonly -ier or -yer
1
a
: person occupationally connected with
furrier
lawyer
b
: person or thing belonging to or associated with
header
old-timer
c
: native of : resident of
cottager
New Yorker
d
: one that has
three-decker
e
: one that produces or yields
porker
2
a
: one that does or performs (a specified action)
batter
—sometimes added to both elements of a compound builder-upper
b
: one that is a suitable object of (a specified action)
broiler
3
: one that is
foreigner
—in all senses -yer in a few words after w, -ier in a few other words, otherwise -er 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
Christopher Michel, Country Living, 12 Sep. 2022 Big Sky, er, Big Sky: Deadly Trails, is back for a third season, replete with its usual mystery, danger, and… death. Ew Staff, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2022 Bolch later became the first writer on record to covet trips to Spokane while serving a three-season sentence — er, stint — on USC basketball. Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2022 But not everybody shares Warren’s apparent capacity for such, er, nuance. BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2022 And Texas A&M boosters will celebrate by doubling the salaries, er, NIL payments of the entire roster. Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2022 The proximity of Lake Mead to Las Vegas — and that city's, er, colorful associations with organized crime — has not gone unnoticed. Joel Mathis, The Week, 12 Aug. 2022 Scott Adkins and Steve Howey steal their scene as vampire-hunting brothers — er, bros. Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2022 Aragorn, er, Viggo Mortensen, the Hollywood A-lister with three Oscar nominations. Paddy O'connell, Outside Online, 4 Aug. 2022 See More
Interjection
From impressively scary to just scarily easy, these creepy and cute Halloween cake ideas take the... er, cake! Christopher Michel, Country Living, 12 Sep. 2022 Big Sky, er, Big Sky: Deadly Trails, is back for a third season, replete with its usual mystery, danger, and… death. Ew Staff, EW.com, 9 Sep. 2022 Bolch later became the first writer on record to covet trips to Spokane while serving a three-season sentence — er, stint — on USC basketball. Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2022 But not everybody shares Warren’s apparent capacity for such, er, nuance. BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2022 And Texas A&M boosters will celebrate by doubling the salaries, er, NIL payments of the entire roster. Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Aug. 2022 The proximity of Lake Mead to Las Vegas — and that city's, er, colorful associations with organized crime — has not gone unnoticed. Joel Mathis, The Week, 12 Aug. 2022 Scott Adkins and Steve Howey steal their scene as vampire-hunting brothers — er, bros. Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2022 Aragorn, er, Viggo Mortensen, the Hollywood A-lister with three Oscar nominations. Paddy O'connell, Outside Online, 4 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective suffix or adverb suffix
Middle English -er, -ere, -re, from Old English -ra (in adjectives), -or (in adverbs); akin to Old High German -iro, adjective comparative suffix, Latin -ior, Greek -iōn
Noun suffix
Middle English -er, -ere, -ier, -iere; partly from Old English -ere (from Latin -arius); partly from Old French -ier, -iere, from Latin -arius, -aria, -arium -ary; partly from Anglo-French -ere, from Latin -ator -or — more at -ary, -or
First Known Use
Interjection
1862, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
-er 1 of 2
adjective suffix or adverb suffix
ər
—used to form the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs of one syllable
hotterdrier
and of some adjectives and adverbs of two or more syllables shallowerearlier
-er
2 of 2noun suffix
ər
variants also -ier or -yer
ē-ər,
yər
yər
1
: a person who has a particular job
hatter
lawyer
2
: a person or thing belonging to or associated with
old-timer
3
: a native of : resident of
New Yorker
4
: a person or thing that has
5
: a person or thing that produces
thriller
6
: a person or thing that performs a specified action
reporter
7
: a person or thing that is suitable for a specified action
broiler
8
: a person or thing that is
foreigner
Medical Definition
Er 1 of 2
symbol
erbium
ER
2 of 2abbreviation
1
emergency room
2
extended-release