—used when you are speaking and you are not sure what to say
"What's the answer?" "Well, er, I just don't know."
emergency room
-er
3 of 4adjective suffix or adverb suffix
ɚ
—used to form the comparative form of adjectives and adverbs of one syllable
faster
hotter
drier
—used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs of two or more syllablesshallower
earlier
ɚ
variants
also -ier
or -yer
iɚ,
jɚ
jɚ
1
a
: person having a particular job
hatter
furrier
lawyer
jailer
b
: person or thing belonging to or associated with something
old-timer
high schooler
prisoner
c
: native of : resident of
New Yorker
cottager
d
: thing that has
double-decker
2
: person or thing that does or performs a specified action
reporter
player
sharpener
do-gooder
3
: person who is
foreigner
Westerner
Cite this Entry
“Er.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/er. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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