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:
He envisioned a career in music or media, but changed course while sharing an office space with two employees of instant-messaging startup Mirabilis, during his summer internship at a micropayments startup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
It is the first time in his career that he has made 11 birdies in a single round of a DP World Tour event.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Need help or insight with a career or money-related problem?
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
The experience helped shape a political career dedicated to improving the lives of working families, particularly coal miners, veterans and children.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
Hamilton had nearly perfect pitch for Washington’s language, having begun his public career drafting letters and memoranda for Washington’s signature as a staff officer during the war.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Research shows that paying out of pocket for infertility treatments causes persistent anxiety that can stall women’s careers and future earnings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Rappers Nolay and Griminal are among those who see Jamal as a "catalyst" for their careers and say they're excited to celebrate his impact at the upcoming show.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
This year’s seniors are the first to have played the sport all four years of their high school careers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
The findings have even prompted some of the researchers to reconsider ideas they held throughout their careers.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
But that is only the latest in what has been an extraordinary string of experiences and careers.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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
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 jury and the organisers have decided to stop the race," they said as Austria's Nina Ortlieb and Marte Monsen of Norway had also careered off-piste.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Thousands of houses have been damaged or destroyed as fast-running water careered down streets, carrying cars, while highways were blocked with debris and electricity cut off.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2025
Spurred on by the energy of fright it careered off like a runaway juggernaut.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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
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
Early in the Premier League game between Sheffield United and Brighton last month, the Sheffield United defender Mason Holgate went careering into Kaoru Mitoma, Brighton’s dazzling winger.
From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
I go careering off onto the first exit I see.
From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
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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.
