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job1 definition

job (jäb)

noun

  1. a specific piece of work, as in one's trade, or done by agreement for pay
  2. anything one has to do; task; chore; duty
  3. the thing or material being worked on
    1. the action of doing a task, duty, or piece of work
    2. a result or product of such action
  4. ☆ a position of employment; situation; work
  5. Informal a criminal act or deed, as a theft, etc.
  6. Informal any happening, affair, matter, object, etc.
  7. Chiefly Brit. a thing done supposedly in the public interest but actually for private gain

Etymology: < ?

adjective

hired or done by the job

intransitive verb jobbed, jobbing job′·bing

  1. to do odd jobs
  2. to act as a jobber or broker
  3. Chiefly Brit. to do public or official business dishonestly for private gain

transitive verb

  1. to buy and sell (goods) as wholesaler; handle as middleman
  2. to let or sublet (work, contracts, etc.)
  3. to hire or let for hire, as a horse or carriage
  4. Slang to deceive; trick; cheat
  5. Chiefly Brit. to transact (public business) dishonestly for private gain
job Idioms

odd jobs

miscellaneous tasks or pieces of work

on the job

  1. while working at one's job
  2. Slang attentive to one's task or duty
job2 definition

job (jäb)

noun, transitive verb, intransitive verb jobbed, jobbing job′·bing

Dialectal jab

Etymology: ME jobben, to peck

Job definition

Job (jōb)

noun

  1. a man who endured much suffering but did not lose his faith in God
  2. the book telling of him: abbrev. Jb

Etymology: LL(Ec) < Gr(Ec) Iōb < Heb 'Iyyōbh

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
job Synonyms

job

n.

  1. Gainful employment

    situation, post, position, appointment, office, work, occupation, employment, business, profession, trade, line, calling, field, vocation, career, craft, paying job, place, berth, pursuit, function, role, capacity, faculty, means of livelihood, métier, gig*; see also business 1, profession 1, trade 2, work 2.

  2. Something to be done

    task, assignment, chore, stint, duty, responsibility, business, burden, action, act, mission, affair, concern, obligation, enterprise, undertaking, project, errand, care, matter, matter in hand, commission, function, charge, province, deed, office, tour of duty, operation, transaction, work, labor, toil, drudgery, grind, lookout*, scutwork*; see also duty 2.

  3. The amount of work done

    assignment, day's work, output, input, throughput, block of work, responsibility; see also sense 2; duty 2. See syn. study at task.

job, the common, comprehensive equivalent for any of the following terms, refers to any work done by agreement for pay; position may apply to any specific employment for salary or wages, but often connotes white-collar or professional employment; situation now usually refers to a position that is open or that is desired situation wanted as instructor; office refers to a position of authority or trust, esp. in government or a corporation; post implies a position or office that carries heavy responsibilities, esp. one to which a person is appointed

odd jobs

miscellaneous duties, chores, occasional labor; see job 2.

on the job

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

job Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • do: You can also try to do the job of the brain in the game Staying alive.

Adjective modifier

  • part-time: Don't forget part-time jobs, Saturday jobs and voluntary work.

Modifies a noun

  • vacancy: Would you like to have a local job vacancies section on your site?

Noun used with modifier

  • print: While Postscript is fine for print jobs it poses special problems to the screen-oriented designer.
job usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

job quotes

It's a man's joböno place for women's plans here!öwhat lies outside. Stay home and cause no trouble.

-Aeschylus

The work of a Prime Minister is the loneliest job in the world.

-Baldwin (of Bewdley), Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl

Being a husband isawhole-timejob.That iswhysomany husbands fail. They cannot give their entire attention to it.

-Bennett, (Enoch) Arnold

job quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"job." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/job>

APA Style

job. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/job

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