job
job — noun
1. the paid activity that you do regularly for an employer or as your own business
the paid activity that you do regularly for an employer or as your own business in order to earn money.
Hui found a job at the local bookstore after finishing school.
collocation: find a job + at [place]
Christopher's job as a nurse requires him to work night shifts twice a week.
pattern: job as [role]
Niran applied for several jobs last month but has not heard back yet.
My sister loves her new job because the team is very friendly and helpful.
Devika took a part-time job at a cafe to save money for her university course.
collocation: part-time / full-time job
- find a job
- lose a job
- apply for a job
- offer someone a job
- part-time job
- full-time job
- permanent job
- temporary job
- job interview
- job market
- work
uncountable; job = a specific position, work = the general activity of earning money
- position
more formal, often used in professional contexts
- post
especially in government, military, or academic contexts
- occupation
used on official forms; a neutral label for the type of work you do
- unemployment
the state of being without a job
Grammar Patterns
job + as + role
job + at/in + place
Common Mistakes
2. a polite phrase used to describe being without paid work, especially for a short
a polite phrase used to describe being without paid work, especially for a short period between one position and the next.
Noor was between jobs for a few months after the startup closed down.
phrase: be between jobs
Marco said he was between jobs, though he had not actually started looking yet.
The short time between jobs gave Tamar a chance to travel through Southeast Asia.
Writing 'between jobs' on a form can sound more professional than writing 'unemployed'.
register: polite alternative to 'unemployed'
- be between jobs
- a period between jobs
- unemployed
direct statement; less polite but more honest
- out of work
informal, neutral way of saying unemployed
- redundant
British English; specifically when your employer no longer needs you
- employed
having a job
Grammar Patterns
be + between jobs
Usage Note
A polite euphemism for unemployed. Often used in formal or professional contexts such as résumés, forms, or conversations about career gaps. Avoid in informal speech where 'unemployed' or 'out of work' is more direct.
Common Mistakes
3. a specific task that you are asked to do or complete, especially one with a clea
a specific task that you are asked to do or complete, especially one with a clear aim that takes a limited amount of time.
Gabriela had the job of painting the fence before the party on Saturday.
pattern: the job of -ing
The job of organizing the school trip to the museum fell to the new teacher.
Moving all the furniture into the new apartment was a big job that took all weekend.
collocation: a big job / an easy job
Baraka asked his neighbour to help him with the job of cleaning out the garage.
The plumber did a great job fixing the broken pipe under the kitchen sink.
collocation: do a good/great/bad job
- do a job
- big job
- easy job
- the job of
- make a good/bad job of something
- task
more general; a piece of work that has to be done, not necessarily paid
- project
a larger, planned piece of work that takes time
- assignment
often used in school or work contexts for a specific duty
- chore
a small, routine task, especially around the house
Grammar Patterns
the job of + -ing
a/an + adjective + job
Usage Note
Often preceded by an adjective (big, easy, hard, great) or a description of the task (the job of + gerund). Can also be used with 'do a ... job' to evaluate the quality of work done.
Common Mistakes
4. something that you are expected or required to do as part of your role, duty, or
something that you are expected or required to do as part of your role, duty, or position in a group or organisation.
It is the security guard's job to check every bag at the entrance.
pattern: it is [someone's] job to [verb]
Making sure the guests are comfortable is the hotel manager's main job.
Rodrigo said it was not his job to answer customer complaints about the website.
Keeping the kitchen clean is every cook's job, not just one person's responsibility.
Ezra reminded the team that finishing the report on time was everyone's job.
collocation: someone's job to do something
- be someone's job to
- it's not my job
- it's your job
- duty
moral or legal obligation, stronger than job
- responsibility
focuses on being answerable for something
- role
the function or part someone plays in a situation
Grammar Patterns
it is + someone's + job + to-infinitive
Usage Note
Commonly used in the structure 'it is someone's job to + infinitive' to indicate duty or responsibility. Unlike sense 1 (EMPLOYMENT), this sense does not imply the person is paid for this duty.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'It's my job to take out the trash at home.' — This is correct English but in Taiwan English classrooms 'job' often implies paid work, so 'duty' or 'responsibility' may be more natural for household chores.
5. a difficult, unpleasant, or tiring experience or situation that requires effort
a difficult, unpleasant, or tiring experience or situation that requires effort to deal with.
The car repairs were going to be a hard job, so Lisa called a professional mechanic.
collocation: a hard job / a difficult job
Getting the old wooden table up the narrow stairs was quite a job.
Gabriela had a job trying to gather everyone's opinions before the meeting ended.
pattern: have a job -ing (informal, BrE)
It was a real job to keep the children calm during the long train journey.
- quite a job
- a real job
- have a job doing something
- be a job to
- breeze
something very easy to do; informal
Grammar Patterns
have a job + -ing
be a job to + infinitive
Usage Note
Common in British English in the informal structure 'have a job doing something', meaning 'find it difficult to do something'. The adjective 'real' or 'quite' often intensifies the difficulty.
6. an individual item or specimen of a certain kind that can be described by an adj
an individual item or specimen of a certain kind that can be described by an adjective, especially in informal British English.
That old blue car is a beautiful little job with shiny chrome bumpers.
pattern: a [adjective] little/old job
The house they bought is a modern job with big windows and a flat roof.
I prefer the wooden bookshelf — it is a fine job with lovely clean edges.
Hui picked a nice little ceramic job for a plant pot at the Sunday market.
- a little job
- a nice job
- a fine job
- a modern job
Grammar Patterns
adjective + little/old + job
Usage Note
Informal, chiefly British. The noun is always preceded by an adjective (fine, nice, beautiful, modern, little, old) and often followed by a descriptor. Common in spoken British English to identify or evaluate an object.
7. an act of stealing from a bank, shop, or other place, or any other dishonest or
an act of stealing from a bank, shop, or other place, or any other dishonest or illegal activity carried out for financial gain.
The police arrested three men for the bank job on Main Street last month.
collocation: bank job
In the film, a group of teenagers pulls a clever job on a dishonest businessman.
The thieves got away with almost half a million dollars in the jewellery store job.
The newspaper called it the biggest job in the city's recent criminal history.
- bank job
- pull a job
- do a job
- inside job
Usage Note
Informal slang for a robbery or criminal operation. Often used with an adjective or noun modifier to describe the type of crime (bank job, jewellery job). 'Pull a job' is a common informal collocation meaning 'commit a robbery'.
on the job
idiomhappening while someone is working or at their workplace.
Noor learned most of her computer skills on the job rather than at school.
The company provides on-the-job training for all new employees during their first month.
just the job
idiomexactly what is needed or wanted in a particular situation.
A hot bowl of soup was just the job after walking home in the cold rain.
That small screwdriver was just the job for fixing the handle on the kitchen drawer.
to accept a situation that is not good and try to make it as pleasant or productive as possible.
The weather ruined their picnic plans, so they made the best of a bad job and ate indoors.
When the project lost half its funding, the team made the best of a bad job and focused on the essentials.
do the job
idiomto achieve the desired result or be good enough for a particular purpose.
This simple hammer should do the job for hanging the picture frame on the wall.
Rodrigo was not sure the old laptop would do the job, but it ran the software perfectly.
a good job
idioma fortunate or desirable state of affairs; often used in the phrase 'it's a good job (that)...' meaning 'it is fortunate that...'.
It is a good job that Christopher brought an umbrella — the rain started just after noon.
It's a good job you reminded me about the meeting, or I would have missed it completely.
Not giving enough attention to your work or responsibilities.
The guard was asleep on the job when the thief entered.
If the manager is asleep at the wheel, problems will grow.
between jobs
idiomA polite way to say that someone is temporarily unemployed.
Maya is between jobs right now, so she has more free time.
He said he's between jobs, but I think he was fired.
A very difficult or unpleasant experience or task.
We had a devil of a time finding a parking spot downtown.
Fixing the old car was a devil of a job for Diego.
To perform a task well or poorly.
Sara did a great job on her science project.
The painter made a terrible job of the living room walls.
To cause someone or yourself to lose their job because the work is no longer needed.
If the robot works perfectly, it might do the workers out of a job.
By automating the process, the team did themselves out of a job.
To stop trying to help someone or do something because there is no chance of success.
After three failed attempts, the teacher gave the student up as a bad job.
They gave the broken computer up as a bad job and bought a new one.
good job!
idiomUsed to praise someone for doing something well.
Good job, Aiden! You finished the race in first place.
The manager said, "Good job!" after the team met the deadline.
To experience difficulty when trying to do something.
Brian had a hard job convincing his parents to let him travel alone.
You'll have a difficult job finding a parking spot during the festival.
a job of work
idiomA task that must be done, especially one that is paid or necessary.
There was a job of work waiting for him at the office.
Cleaning the garage was a job of work that took all weekend.
jobs for the boys
idiomA critical term for giving jobs to friends or relatives rather than through fair competition.
The mayor was accused of creating jobs for the boys in his administration.
Many citizens complained about jobs for the boys in the local council.
To accept a bad situation and try to do as well as possible under the circumstances.
The rain ruined our picnic, but we made the best of it indoors.
After losing his job, he decided to make the best of a bad job and start a business.
Not worth doing because it could get you fired or break the rules.
It's more than my job's worth to let you in without a ticket.
The security guard said it was more than his job's worth to open the gate early.
walk off the job
idiomTo stop working suddenly as a form of protest, usually a strike.
The factory workers walked off the job to demand higher pay.
When the new policy was announced, many employees walked off the job.
job — verb
1. to carry out small paid tasks for various people, usually on a temporary basis r
to carry out small paid tasks for various people, usually on a temporary basis rather than as a regular long-term employee.
Ezra jobs as a gardener during the summer months when the parks need extra help.
pattern: job as [role]
Tamar has been jobbing for several local families, fixing fences and painting sheds.
When Marco was a student, he jobbed around the neighbourhood washing cars and walking dogs.
The retired teacher now jobs as a private tutor for children in her apartment building.
- job as
- job for
- jobbing [profession]
Grammar Patterns
job + as [type of worker]
job + for [employer]
Usage Note
This verb sense is uncommon in modern everyday English. The more natural expression is 'do odd jobs' or 'work freelance'. The present participle 'jobbing' (jobbing gardener, jobbing builder) is more frequent than the base verb.
2. to use a public position or government office dishonestly for personal financial
to use a public position or government office dishonestly for personal financial benefit.
Several officials were caught jobbing by awarding contracts to companies they owned.
pattern: be caught jobbing (corrupt context)
The corruption report accused the former mayor of jobbing while in charge of city planning.
In the 1920s, some senators were known for jobbing and taking secret payments from lobbyists.
The newspaper exposed the minister for jobbing through fake consulting fees from state projects.
Usage Note
Very rare in modern English outside historical or legal contexts. The noun form 'jobbery' (corrupt activity in public office) is more common than the verb. In current usage, 'corruption' or 'graft' is preferred.
3. to trade financial assets or commodities, aiming to profit from short-term price
to trade financial assets or commodities, aiming to profit from short-term price movements rather than from holding them long-term.
The wealthy investor jobbed in oil shares and doubled his money within a year.
pattern: job in [commodity/shares]
Some traders job in agricultural products, buying wheat cheap before the harvest and selling it later.
Baraka jobbed the currency markets during the financial crisis and made a large profit.
In the nineteenth century, merchants often jobbed in cotton and tea on the London exchange.
- job in
- job on the stock exchange
Grammar Patterns
job + in [market/commodity]
Usage Note
This sense is historical; the modern term is 'speculate' or 'trade'. In modern finance, 'jobber' refers specifically to a former role on the London Stock Exchange (a market-maker).
4. to give a task or project to an external contractor or freelancer rather than ha
to give a task or project to an external contractor or freelancer rather than having your own staff handle it.
The construction firm jobbed the electrical work out to a smaller local company.
pattern: job out + to [company]
Instead of hiring full-time cleaners, the hospital jobs the cleaning to an outside service.
Lisa's printing shop was jobbed to finish the brochures for the city council's new campaign.
The software developer jobbed the testing phase to a team in another country to save costs.
- job out
- job to
- subcontract
the standard modern term
- outsource
to obtain work from an outside supplier, often overseas
Grammar Patterns
job + out + to [company/person]
Usage Note
Usually used with the particle 'out' (job out = subcontract). The modern and far more common verb is 'subcontract' or 'outsource'. This sense of 'job' is largely restricted to business and construction contexts.
job out
phrasal verbto give a piece of work to an outside person or company instead of doing it with your own workers.
The publisher jobs out the printing of all its books to a factory in another city.
Rather than buying expensive machines, the company jobs out the packaging work to a specialist firm.
job — adjective
1. relating to employment or the work that a person does to earn money.
relating to employment or the work that a person does to earn money.
Noor wore a formal suit to her job interview at the accounting firm.
collocation: job interview
The company's job fair attracted over two hundred applicants from the local area.
collocation: job fair
Hui updated her job title from assistant to manager on the company website.
collocation: job title
Job security is an important factor for many people when choosing a career.
collocation: job security
Christopher found several job opportunities listed on the local newspaper's website.
collocation: job opportunities
- job interview
- job market
- job title
- job security
- job fair
- job opportunities
- job satisfaction
- employment
more formal; e.g. employment agency
- work
e.g. work experience; less formal than 'employment'
- career
longer-term perspective; e.g. career opportunities
Grammar Patterns
job + noun
Usage Note
Used attributively (before a noun) to form common compound nouns about employment. These combinations (job interview, job market, job satisfaction) are extremely frequent and often treated as fixed phrases.
2. describing work that is paid per task or project rather than per hour, or involv
describing work that is paid per task or project rather than per hour, or involving contracts for specific pieces of work.
The factory hired job workers during the busy season to handle the extra orders.
collocation: job worker
Many construction sites use job pricing, where each task has a fixed rate.
collocation: job pricing
The printing press took on job printing for small businesses that needed flyers and posters.
collocation: job printing
The tailor did job work for several clothing brands, sewing batches of shirts at a fixed price per batch.
collocation: job work
- job work
- job worker
- job pricing
- job printing
Grammar Patterns
job + noun
Usage Note
Used primarily in industrial, manufacturing, or trade contexts to describe work paid by the piece or contract rather than by time. More specific than the adjective sense 1 (WORK-RELATED).
3. available to be employed for a particular service, purpose, or period of time, o
available to be employed for a particular service, purpose, or period of time, often on a temporary basis.
The celebrity arrived at the event with a job driver who had been hired for the whole weekend.
collocation: job [professional role]
In some cities you can rent a job car for a few hours through a mobile app.
The hotel kept a list of job gardeners who could help guests with their plants while they were away.
A job carpenter was called in to fix the stage before the concert the next evening.
- job car
- job driver
- job gardener
- job carpenter
Grammar Patterns
job + noun
Usage Note
An uncommon attributive use. 'Job + noun' (= 'for hire') overlaps with sense 2 (PIECEWORK). The distinction is that sense 3 focuses on the temporary nature of the hire ('for the job'), while sense 2 focuses on how the payment is calculated (per piece).
Word family
- joblessadjectiveB2
- jobseekernounC1
- job-sharingnounC1
- jobbernounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All five words relate to earning money through labour, but they focus on different aspects. 'Job' (A1) is the most concrete: it is a specific position at a specific place — 'He got a job at the hospital.' 'Work' (A1) is uncountable and broader: it can mean the general activity of earning money ('She goes to work by bus') or the tasks themselves. 'Position' (B2) is more formal, used in professional contexts for a job at a particular level ('She was offered a senior position at the bank'). 'Occupation' (B1) is neutral and official — it is what you write on forms ('Please state your occupation'). 'Career' (A2) is the long-term sequence of jobs someone has over their life, often in a chosen field ('She built a career in journalism'). 'Profession' (B1) is a career requiring special training, such as law, medicine, or teaching. Compare: 'His job is washing dishes' (concrete), vs 'His profession is a surgeon' (requires training). Use 'job' for everyday conversation, 'position' for formal writing, and 'career' when talking about long-term goals.
Common collocations
Nouns
- market
- interview
- title
- security
- fair
- opportunities
- satisfaction
- description
- offer
- losses
Phrases
- on the job
- do a good job
- just the job
- between jobs
Etymology
The word 'job' first appeared in English in the mid-1500s, probably from the phrase 'jobbe of work' meaning 'a piece of work' — possibly from the Middle English 'jobben' meaning 'to peck' or 'to stab' (like a bird pecking at small pieces of food). Over time, a 'job' came to mean any small piece of work done for payment. By the 1800s, it had broadened to mean regular paid employment. The verb senses (job as a broker, job as corrupt practice) developed from the idea of doing business in small lots or pieces. The idiom 'a good job' meaning 'a fortunate situation' dates from the 1700s.