job

job · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A paid position of regular employment.

  2. 2.

    A task or piece of work.

  3. 3.

    A responsibility or duty.

  4. 4.

    (informal) A difficult task.

  5. 5.

    A state of affairs; a situation (British informal).

  6. 6.

    To do casual or occasional work.

Forms

plural: jobs

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    on the job — at work; while working
  • •
    do a good job — perform a task well
  • •
    job well done — successful completion of a task
  • •
    job security — assurance that one will keep one's job
  • •
    inside job — a crime committed by someone within an organization
  • •
    just the job — exactly what is needed

Related words

Antonyms: unemployment
See also: career, employment, occupation, work
Synonyms: occupation, position, task, work

Etymology

Origin uncertain, possibly from Middle English "jobbe" (a piece of work, a task), perhaps related to "gob" (lump, mass). The word may have originally referred to a cart-load or piece of work. The employment sense developed in the 16th century.