a piece of work, especially a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price.
She gave him the job of mowing the lawn.
a post of employment; full-time or part-time position.
She was seeking a job as an editor.
anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility.
It is your job to be on time.
an affair, matter, occurrence, or state of affairs.
to make the best of a bad job.
the material, project, assignment, etc., being worked upon.
The housing project was a long and costly job.
the process or requirements, details, etc., of working.
It was a tedious job.
the execution or performance of a task.
She did a good job.
Informal. a medical procedure or operation performed to improve the appearance of a specified part of the body (used in combination).
a nose job; a boob job to enlarge her breasts.
Slang. a theft or similar criminal action.
The police caught the gang that pulled that bank job.
a public or official act or decision carried through for the sake of improper private gain.
Slang. an example of a specific or distinctive type.
That little six-cylinder job was the best car I ever owned.
That guy sure is a good-looking job.
Computers. a unit of work for a computer, generally comprising an application program or group of related programs and the data, linkages, and instructions to the operating system needed for running the programs.
to work at jobs or odd pieces of work; work by the piece.
to do business as a jobber.
to turn public business, planning, etc., improperly to private gain.
to assign or give (work, a contract for work, etc.) in separate portions, as among different contractors or workers (often followed byout ).
He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits.
to buy in large quantities, as from wholesalers or manufacturers, and sell to dealers in smaller quantities.
He jobs shoes in Ohio and Indiana.
to get rid of or dispose of.
His party jobbed him when he sought a second term in office.
to swindle or trick (someone).
They jobbed him out of his property.
to carry on (public or official business) for improper private gain.
of or for a particular job or transaction.
bought, sold, or handled together.
He's too big a customer to buy in less than job quantities.
do a job on,
to destroy, defeat, damage, or confound thoroughly.
The thugs did a job on him—he'll be in the hospital for a month.
to deceive, persuade, or charm glibly; snow.
on the job, alert; observant.
The cops were on the job and caught them red-handed.
the central figure in an Old Testament parable of the righteous sufferer.
a book of the Bible bearing his name.
a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “persecuted.”
an individual piece of work or task
an occupation; post of employment
an object worked on or a result produced from working
a duty or responsibility
her job was to cook the dinner
informal a difficult task or problem
I had a job to contact him
a state of affairs
make the best of a bad job
it's a good job I saw you
informal a damaging piece of work
he really did a job on that
informal a crime, esp a robbery or burglary
informal an article or specimen
the new car was a nice little job
an instance of jobbery
computing a unit of work for a computer consisting of a single complete task submitted by a user
appointments given to or created for allies or favourites
actively engaged in one's employment
taboo engaged in sexual intercourse
exactly what was required
(intr) to work by the piece or at casual jobs
to make a private profit out of (a public office, etc)
to buy and sell (goods or services) as a middleman
he jobs in government surplus
to buy and sell stocks and shares as a stockjobber
he jobs in blue chips
to apportion (a contract, work, etc) among several contractors, workers, etc
Old Testament
a Jewish patriarch, who maintained his faith in God in spite of the afflictions sent by God to test him
the book containing Job's pleas to God under these afflictions, attempted explanations of them by his friends, and God's reply to him
any person who withstands great suffering without despairing
Figuratively, any long-suffering person can be said to be “as patient as Job.”
First recorded in 1620–30; origin uncertain
First recorded in 1475–1500; late Middle English jobben “to jab, thrust, peck, poke”; further origin uncertain
Unless you win the lottery, you will probably need a job, or employment where you do work for pay. There are also non-paying jobs: it might be your job to wash the dishes after dinner. Job and work are often synonymous and unfortunately often have a negative connotation meaning “toil." Other meanings of job that are negative involve damaging events or crimes. When you wrecked your car, someone might have said, "You did a real job on that;" or, when you convinced your sister to hand over her allowance, you might have referred to it as a "con job."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Carns, another former soldier, did a couple of television interviews on Thursday night, including one with me, while still a minister, in which he said "my job is to steady the ship".
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
Non-compete clauses, preventing coaches taking on a job with a rival team for a set amount of time, are also common.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
Homeless veterans facing more-acute circumstances, such as a recent job loss, a relationship disruption or a health crisis, are eligible for homelessness prevention and rehousing subsidies, along with referrals to VA services.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
“He’s typically a pretty quiet person too on the court, which has been cool to see him transform a little bit. He’s been doing a great job helping me out.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
Clare continued in slow, careful terms: “You will live here. You will direct the souls of Deadwood to their eternal fate. The job I have been doing… is your calling now.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
