noun

job

noun

A paid position of regular employment.

"She finally landed a job at the local hospital."

"He's been searching for a new job for months."

A particular task or piece of work to be done.

"Painting the fence is a job for the weekend."

Informal for a robbery or heist.

"The gang pulled off one last job before retiring."

A corrupt or self-serving act carried out under the appearance of official duty.

"Critics called the contract award a complete job, rigged from the start."

verb

To work irregularly, taking on individual pieces of paid work.

"He jobbed as a handyman between full-time contracts."

How to Use Job

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost commonly, paid work or employment — but also any task, and informally a robbery.

Common mistake

Job (lowercase) meaning work is unrelated to Job the biblical figure — the connection is coincidental spelling, not etymology.

Common pairings

land a job do a good job pull a job lose one's job

jobbed past tense, jobbed past tense, jobs plural, jobs plural, Jobs plural, jobs singular, jobs singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “job” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

She finally landed a _____ at the local hospital.

From the Middle English phrase "jobbe of work" (a piece of work); ultimate origin uncertain.