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Synonyms

career

American  
[kuh-reer] / kəˈrɪər /

noun

  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.

verb (used without object)

  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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
career Idioms  

  1. see checkered career.

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” ( car 1 ) + -āria (feminine of -ārius -ary )

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.

I built my career around this worldview, stepping into roles directing design programs at two different universities.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

Open champion Gary Woodland, after winning the Houston Open, his first victory on the PGA Tour since brain surgery nearly ended his career.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Hansen, who joined the CSA in 2009 following his career as a fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force, will be the first non-American to fly around the Moon.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Chisora has been through the harder fights and more longevity in his career, but then again Wilder isn't coming off the best results.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

“He’s living in an apartment until the house is done. Something about the demands of his career being too much to balance with a family.”

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.