career

American  

[kuh-reer] / kəˈrɪər /

noun

careers plural

1. an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework.

   He sought a career as a lawyer.

2. 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

3. success in a profession, occupation, etc.

4. a course, especially a swift one.

5. speed, especially full speed.

   The horse stumbled in full career.

6. Archaic. a charge at full speed.

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verb (used without object)

careers, present (3rd person singular) careered, past participle, past careering present participle

1. to run or move rapidly along; go at full speed.

adjective

1. having or following a career; professional.

   a career diplomat.

career British  

/ kəˈrɪə /

noun

1. a path or progress through life or history

2. a profession or occupation chosen as one's life's work

3. (modifier) having or following a career as specified

   a career diplomat

4. a course or path, esp a swift or headlong one

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verb

1. (intr) to move swiftly along; rush in an uncontrolled way

career Idioms  

1. see checkered career.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• careers
  plural

Participles

• careering
  present
• careered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• career
  simple
• careers
  simple
• have careered
  perfect
• has careered
  perfect
• am careering
  progressive
• are careering
  progressive
• is careering
  progressive
• have been careering
  perfect progressive
• has been careering
  perfect progressive

Past

• careered
  simple
• had careered
  perfect
• was careering
  progressive
• were careering
  progressive
• had been careering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will career
  simple
• will have careered
  perfect
• will be careering
  progressive
• will have been careering
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

One of the highlights of his career was hitting the winning runs when Afghanistan beat Scotland to claim their first World Cup triumph in 2015.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026

"One hundred percent the most challenging in my career," said Meyers, from the US team Florida Task Force 2, which joined dozens of international missions in Venezuela to search for survivors.

From Barron's • Jul. 7, 2026

My father, John, was a career soldier in the Army.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

For roughly two decades, Theresa Robertson managed her husband’s care while pursuing a career in telecommunications, and she found that there weren’t many tools available to help her.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026

Militsa was a career military officer like Marina, an Air Force Academy graduate who’d already taken part in several Moscow air shows and even had some training as an attack pilot.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• course
• race