job

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈjäb 

plural jobs

1

a

: a regular remunerative position

got a part-time job as a waiter

she quit her job

b

: a specific duty, role, or function

The heart's job is to circulate blood.

c(1)

: something that has to be done : task

was given the job of delivering the bad news

(2)

: an undertaking requiring unusual exertion

it was a real job to talk over that noise

2

a

: a piece of work

doing odd jobs around the house

Repairing the roof was a big job.

especially : a small miscellaneous piece of work undertaken on order at a stated rate

a car that needs a brake job

b

: the object or material on which work is being done

c

: something produced by or as if by work

did a nice job

d

: an example of a usually specified type : item

the limousine was a long white job

3

a

: something done for private advantage

the whole incident was a put-up job

b

: a criminal enterprise

specifically : robbery

There comes a time in everyone's life when you need a lawyer. And I'm not implying that you're going to hold up a liquor store or pull a bank job anytime soon.

—Stephen Fenech

c

: a damaging or destructive bit of work

did a job on him

4

chiefly British : state of affairs

—usually used with bad or good

it was a good job you didn't hit the old man

—E. L. Thomas

5

: plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes

an eye job

see nose job

job

2 of 4

verb

jobbed; jobbing

intransitive verb

1

: to do odd or occasional pieces of work for hire

supported himself by jobbing in local orchestras

2

: to carry on public business for private gain

3

: to carry on the business of a middleman or wholesaler

transitive verb

1

: to buy and sell (something, such as stock) for profit : speculate

2

: to hire or let by the job or for a period of service

job a carriage

3

: to get, deal with, or effect by jobbery

4

: to do or cause to be done by separate portions or lots : subcontract

—often used with out

a publisher who knew the market might have jobbed out the work to factories in Asia

—Michael Shnayerson

5

: to penalize or deprive unfairly

… fans and players who may still believe that … they were jobbed out of a World Championship …

—Roger Angell

job

3 of 4

adjective

1

: of or relating to a job or to employment

a guarantee of job security

2

: used in, engaged in, or done as job work

a job shop

3

British : that is for hire for a given service or period

a job gardener

Job

4 of 4

noun (2)

ˈjōb 

1

: the hero of the book of Job who endures afflictions with fortitude and faith

2

: a narrative and poetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture see Bible Table

Phrases

on the job

: at work : while working

was injured on the job

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• appointment
• berth
• billet
• capacity
• connection
• function
• place
• position
• post
• situation

Choose the Right Synonym for job

task, duty, job, chore, stint, assignment mean a piece of work to be done.

task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

charged with a variety of tasks

duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

the duties of a lifeguard

job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

the job of turning the company around

chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

every child was assigned chores

stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

a 2-month stint as a reporter

assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

a reporter's assignment

Examples of job in a Sentence

Noun (1)

He took a job as a waiter.

She has a high-paying job on Wall Street.

She's trying to get a job in New York.

The new factory will create thousands of jobs.

They offered him the job but he turned it down.

The blood's job is to carry oxygen to the different parts of the body.

Construction of the bridge turned out to be a bigger job than they had expected.

It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Research shows that people are 10 times more likely to quit their jobs because of toxic work cultures than due to compensation or work-life balance issues. —Chris Dyer, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Without Joel Eriksson Ek and Brodin, who usually do a solid job against McDavid (his fewest points per game in the NHL are against Minnesota), the Wild were already up against it. —Michael Russo, The Athletic, 13 Dec. 2024

Verb

This is likely because most ATS relies on artificial intelligence to track keywords in resumes and compares it to job descriptions to help narrow the applicant pool to only the most qualified candidates. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 28 Oct. 2024

The defendant in that case, Christina Marie Chapman, 49, of Litchfield Park, Arizona, and co-conspirators compromised the identities of more than 60 people living in the US and used their personal information to get North Koreans IT jobs across more than 300 US companies. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 9 Aug. 2024

Adjective

The students Cruzvergara work with often underplay their non-job experiences. —Fortune, 1 June 2022

The City Council has been taking numerous anti-job actions, driving out employment from the city. —Star Tribune, 21 May 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1), Verb, and Adjective

perhaps from obsolete English job lump

Noun (2)

Latin, from Greek Iōb, from Hebrew Iyyōbh

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1558, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

1681, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Adjective

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing job

• be out of a job
• brake/valve job
• day job
• desk job
• do a bad job
• do a good/great job
• do a job on
• do one's job
• do the job
• fall down on the job
• give (something) up as a bad job
• hatchet job
• inside job
• job action
• job fair
• job-hopping
• job lot
• job market
• job sharing
• just/only doing one's job
• lie down on the job
• lose one's job
• make the best of a bad job
• nine-to-five job
• nose job
• nut job
• on-the-job training
• print job
• put (someone) out of a job
• put-up job
• snow job
• summer job
• walk off the/one's job

Kids Definition

job

1 of 2 noun

ˈjäb

1

a

: a piece of work

especially : one done at a specified rate

b

: something produced by or as if by work

did a good job

2

: a special duty or function : task

your job is to mow the lawn

3

: a position at which one regularly works for pay

lost my job

jobless

-ləs

adjective

joblessness noun

Job

2 of 2 noun

ˈjōb 

: a narrative and poetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture see bible

Medical Definition

job

noun

ˈjäb 

: plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes

an eye job

Legal Definition

job

1 of 2 verb

jobbed; jobbing

intransitive verb

1

: to do odd or occasional pieces of work for hire

2

: to carry on the business of a middleman or wholesaler

transitive verb

1

: to buy and sell (as stock) for profit

2

: to hire or let by the job or for a period of service

3

: to do or cause to be done by separate portions or lots : subcontract

job

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: a piece of work

especially : a small miscellaneous piece of work undertaken on order at a stated rate

b

: the object or material on which work is being done

2

a

: a specific duty, role, or function

a job description

b

: a regular remunerative position