a piece of work, especially a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price: She gave him the job of mowing the lawn.
a post of employment; full-time or part-time position: She was seeking a job as an editor.
anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility: It is your job to be on time.
an affair, matter, occurrence, or state of affairs: to make the best of a bad job.
the material, project, assignment, etc., being worked upon: The housing project was a long and costly job.
the process or requirements, details, etc., of working: It was a tedious job.
the execution or performance of a task: She did a good job.
Informal. a medical procedure or operation performed to improve the appearance of a specified part of the body (used in combination): a nose job; a boob job to enlarge her breasts.
Slang. a theft or similar criminal action: The police caught the gang that pulled that bank job.
a public or official act or decision carried through for the sake of improper private gain.
Slang. an example of a specific or distinctive type: That little six-cylinder job was the best car I ever owned.That guy sure is a good-looking job.
Computers. a unit of work for a computer, generally comprising an application program or group of related programs and the data, linkages, and instructions to the operating system needed for running the programs.
verb (used without object),jobbed,job·bing.
to work at jobs or odd pieces of work; work by the piece.
to do business as a jobber.
to turn public business, planning, etc., improperly to private gain.
verb (used with object),jobbed,job·bing.
to assign or give (work, a contract for work, etc.) in separate portions, as among different contractors or workers (often followed by out): He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits.
to buy in large quantities, as from wholesalers or manufacturers, and sell to dealers in smaller quantities: He jobs shoes in Ohio and Indiana.
to get rid of or dispose of: His party jobbed him when he sought a second term in office.
to swindle or trick (someone): They jobbed him out of his property.
to carry on (public or official business) for improper private gain.
adjective
of or for a particular job or transaction.
bought, sold, or handled together: He's too big a customer to buy in less than job quantities.
Idioms for job
do a job on, Slang.
to destroy, defeat, damage, or confound thoroughly: The thugs did a job on him—he'll be in the hospital for a month.
to deceive, persuade, or charm glibly; snow.
on the job, alert; observant: The cops were on the job and caught them red-handed.
Origin of job
1
First recorded in 1620–30; 1935–40 for def. 15; origin uncertain
synonym study for job
1. See task. 2. See position.
Words nearby job
Joanne, joannes, Joan of Arc, João Pessoa, Joash, job, job action, job analysis, Jo. Bapt., job bank, jobber
Definition for job (2 of 3)
job2
[ job ]
/ dʒɒb /
verb (used with or without object), nounjobbed,job·bing,
jab.
Origin of job
2
1480–90; Middle English jobben, of uncertain origin
Definition for job (3 of 3)
Job
[ johb ]
/ dʒoʊb /
noun
the central figure in an Old Testament parable of the righteous sufferer.
a book of the Bible bearing his name.
a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “persecuted.”
They’re very upset that we’ve done such a good job with the vaccine.
Election live updates: Trump returns to Wisconsin; Biden to face live audience at town hall|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
College students, searching for a way to get job-ready, flocked to the platform from Northern Italy to South-East Asia, to all over the United States.
Forage, formerly InsideSherpa, raises $9.3 million Series A for virtual work experiences|Natasha Mascarenhas|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
It’s hard not to be happy with the job we’re doing, that I can tell you.
Timeline: The 124 times Trump has downplayed the coronavirus threat|Aaron Blake, JM Rieger|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
If those are attributable to the novel coronavirus, we’ve already moved out of good-job territory.
Trump blames blue states for the coronavirus death toll — but most recent deaths have been in red states|Philip Bump|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
After a pause during lockdown, lenders from Citigroup to HSBC Holdings have restarted cuts, taking gross losses announced this year to a combined 63,785 jobs, according to a Bloomberg analysis of filings.
The incredibly shrinking banking sector is heading for near-record job losses this year|Bernhard Warner|September 16, 2020|Fortune
Eric Garcetti succeeded Villaraigosa and has received high marks in his first year and a half on the job.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I love my job and I love my city and I am committed to the work here,” he said in a statement.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
However, legal issues are only one of the things standing between an ex-prisoner and a job.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Having a criminal record can reduce the likelihood of getting a callback or job offer by 50 percent.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The odds of getting re-arrested are a lot slimmer if a person has a job.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside|Justin Rohrlich|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I wish our job was finished and we were going the other way.
Wyndham's Pal|Harold Bindloss
Our job is to get the Doctor down here to look at that prize specimen before it moves off to the Deep Hole.
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle|Hugh Lofting
The long and short of it is that the matchmaking luminary had cut Reb Feive out of his job.
The Imported Bridegroom|Abraham Cahan
"He should be pretty quick in getting through the job," observed Barbican, the first as usual to recover tranquillity.
All Around the Moon|Jules Verne
I've noticed he don't work at the job much without he's gettin' something out of it.
A Woman of Genius|Mary Austin
British Dictionary definitions for job (1 of 2)
job
/ (dʒɒb) /
noun
an individual piece of work or task
an occupation; post of employment
an object worked on or a result produced from working
a duty or responsibilityher job was to cook the dinner
informala difficult task or problemI had a job to contact him
a state of affairsmake the best of a bad job; it's a good job I saw you
informala damaging piece of workhe really did a job on that
informala crime, esp a robbery or burglary
informalan article or specimenthe new car was a nice little job
an instance of jobbery
computinga unit of work for a computer consisting of a single complete task submitted by a user
jobs for the boysappointments given to or created for allies or favourites
on the job
actively engaged in one's employment
Britishtabooengaged in sexual intercourse
just the jobexactly what was required
verbjobs, jobbingorjobbed
(intr)to work by the piece or at casual jobs
to make a private profit out of (a public office, etc)
(intr usually foll by in)
to buy and sell (goods or services) as a middlemanhe jobs in government surplus
Britishto buy and sell stocks and shares as a stockjobberhe jobs in blue chips
(tr often foll by out) to apportion (a contract, work, etc) among several contractors, workers, etc
Word Origin for job
C16: of uncertain origin
British Dictionary definitions for job (2 of 2)
Job
/ (dʒəʊb) /
noun
Old Testament
a Jewish patriarch, who maintained his faith in God in spite of the afflictions sent by God to test him
the book containing Job's pleas to God under these afflictions, attempted explanations of them by his friends, and God's reply to him
any person who withstands great suffering without despairing
In the Old Testament, a man whose faith was severely tested by Satan, with God's permission. Job was the most prosperous and happy of men, who faithfully praised God for God's goodness. In order to get him to curse God, Satan destroyed all that Job owned, killed his children, and struck Job himself with vile sores from head to foot. False friends of Job's suggested that he should abandon his beliefs (see Job's comforters). But even in absolute misery, Job would not curse God, saying instead, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.” As a reward for his steadfast faith, God healed Job and “gave him twice as much as he had before.”
notes for Job
Figuratively, any long-suffering person can be said to be “as patient as Job.”