career ladder
noun
a series of jobs, roles, or positions of increasing importance or responsibility, through which one progresses or is expected to progress; corporate ladder.
career ladders
-
pluralof career ladder.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
In the face of a slow job market, rising housing costs and career ladders that increasingly resemble waiting rooms, starting a business before you need a job flips the equation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
McKinsey has called this the “broken rung” on their career ladders.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024
"We need to raise pay and restore career ladders now. The future of the EPA and our planet are at stake."
From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2023
It is open to 30-year-olds who were climbing career ladders when they had to flee their homeland and are now displaced, living in countries where speaking Ukrainian won’t help them.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 8, 2023
They have always been very high up on their horses, which is fine, although if you ask me they have shot their own career ladders in the foot.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
