career
Americannoun
-
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)
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"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
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
However, she still walks away with a pretty profit, having purchased the three-bedroom, two-bath property in 2005 for $1.6 million at the height of her career.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
She says Leto asked if he could pass her number to a friend of his, making it sound like the friend could be a good contact for her career - and she agreed.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
We needed to stop for a little bit and gather our thoughts, reflect on our career and all that we have done.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Clayton has a long legal career but doesn’t have a traditional intelligence experience as many of his predecessors had as spy chief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
In his youth, Gogolev had been a dancer until an injury ended his once-promising career, or so he often claimed.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
They have enviable wealth and careers, except for one who’s relatively less well-off than the rest.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
"It gives them exposure to professional environments and the chance to meet people in careers they might otherwise never encounter," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
See the number of politicians leaving successful House careers to hunt the attorney general title: Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Jeff Jackson of North Carolina, Chip Roy of Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Many athletes have attempted musical careers, with varying degrees of critical and commercial success.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
We aimed to take home gold, and we thought “the Final Five” would sound better if we had already won the biggest medal of our careers.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
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
The work vehicle careered down the road before smashing through the gates beside Knaresborough Station and hitting a Victorian signal box, causing major disruption to services between Harrogate and York.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2025
Joaquin leaned his body to the left as he careered down the hill toward the arts center.
From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway
In it, he presented the idea that Europe is careering down the wrong path.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 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
The club doesn’t intend to keep careering ahead this way forever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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
After its path is further changed by gravitational encounters with Jupiter or Saturn, it tends to find itself, once every century or so, careering toward the inner solar system.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
