career
Americannoun
-
careers
plural
-
an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework.
He sought a career as a lawyer.
-
a person's progress or general course of action through life or through a phase of life, as in some profession or undertaking.
His career as a soldier ended with the armistice.
- Synonyms:
- livelihood, lifework, work, calling, vocation
-
success in a profession, occupation, etc.
-
a course, especially a swift one.
-
speed, especially full speed.
The horse stumbled in full career.
-
Archaic. a charge at full speed.
verb (used without object)
-
careers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
careered,
past participle, past
-
careering
present participle
adjective
noun
-
a path or progress through life or history
-
a profession or occupation chosen as one's life's work
-
(modifier) having or following a career as specified
a career diplomat
-
a course or path, esp a swift or headlong one
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
careersimple
-
careerssimple
-
have careeredperfect
-
has careeredperfect
-
am careeringprogressive
-
are careeringprogressive
-
is careeringprogressive
-
have been careeringperfect progressive
-
has been careeringperfect progressive
Past
-
careeredsimple
-
had careeredperfect
-
was careeringprogressive
-
were careeringprogressive
-
had been careeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of career
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French carriere, from Old Provençal carriera, literally, “road,” from Late Latin carrāria (via) “vehicular (road),” equivalent to Latin carr(us) “wagon” ( see car 1) + -āria (feminine of -ārius -ary )
Explanation
You may have to take jobs as a dog walker, cat groomer, and fish feeder before you complete school for a career as a veterinarian. Small jobs in the short term give you experience for a long-term career. Career comes from the French carrière, from an older word for "street" or "road." Staying on track for a certain career is like driving a car in one direction on a road, instead of veering in different directions. Maybe the expression "career path" is helpful in remembering that a career is something that progresses, or moves forward on a set path. It can also be used as a verb to describe something moving quickly and uncontrollably, like a car careering into a ditch.
Vocabulary lists containing career
Can I Work It? Words for "Job"
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"Creativity at Work" and "The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Academy Awards, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Texans are now hoping that their chemistry can revitalize Harrison’s career after two seasons spent looking like an absolute bust.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Jamie Miller, who is originally from Pontprennau in Cardiff, was close to calling it quits on his music career at the start of 2026, deciding it was his "last chance", financially and emotionally.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Freeman’s .792 OPS in 2026 was the lowest of his career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
He would like to play until 40 and finish his career here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
And not one of them was a teacher or a nurse, the professions that were most common for Colored career women.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
The actor received a Teen Choice Award nomination for his work on “New Girl,” which starred Zooey Deschanel and followed a group of roommates navigating relationships and careers in Los Angeles.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Avi says he’s been thinking about careers for as long as he can remember and he keeps a list of interesting jobs on his phone’s Notes app.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Mentor is one of a growing number of athletes to consider fertility preservation during their careers, but the practice remains the subject of debate and experts stress it offers no guarantee of a future pregnancy.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
A weakened economy has shrunk the job market, just as record numbers of college graduates are looking to start their careers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Some jockeys took two hundred or more falls in their careers.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Two systems that could have slowed an Amazon Air flight that crashed in Miami over the weekend weren’t deployed before the plane careered off a runway and crashed into nearby vehicles, investigators said late Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The invasion was an outpouring of emotion but it careered so far over the line as to be an outrage.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
In the latest incident in Leipzig, a Volkswagen Taigo car careered from a major square in the old town down a busy pedestrian zone, travelling hundreds of metres.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
The driver was arrested after the vehicle careered from a main square down a major city centre street, close to historic sites.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
A bus careered past and sprayed us with a fountain of rust-brown puddle water, drenching us.
From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman
Being closer, or watching from the air, doesn’t diminish the awe one feels watching the waves, and the bodies within them, careering toward the Portuguese beach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
The accident, which saw the picture-postcard 19th-century Gloria tramway hurtle into a building after careering off the rails, shocked the Portuguese capital, laying bare fears over the safety of the popular yet ageing tourist attraction.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025
A few moments later, Grant Hanley played an agricultural hoof down the park, the ball careering out of play with no Scotsman in sight.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025
Only after that point could turmoil begin: It was shattered by an impact and shifted outward to the asteroid belt, where subsequent impacts would have formed the Athor family and sent some careering toward Earth.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 16, 2024
“It was no more exhausting careering after Jasper on the rocks than it was careering after driftwood on the beach,” I answered.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
