At work, busy, as in We've got three men on the job . [Late 1800s]
At work, busy, as in We've got three men on the job . [Late 1800s]
Paying close attention, alert, as in Trust Jim to find out the details—he's always on the job .
First recorded in 1935–40
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She would offer her on-the-job experience and political network to Berkeley while “learning from the students and from the faculty about what we should be talking about as we go forward” in politics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
A swath of the workforce lacks access to an on-the-job retirement-savings plan, according to the Labor Department.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
AI has automated entry-level tasks that once served as on-the-job training.
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
“If, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days,” Vice President J.D.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2025
“Quite right,” Mr. Gonzalez said anxiously, his dapper person quivering at the prospect of an on-the-job accident.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Darline Graham, who wrapped her first full week on the job Friday, has already done so twice over.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
Similar programs created by local governments to encourage potential retirees to stay on the job have been costly and rife with abuse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Joe Root says some England players are having to "learn on the job" in 50-over cricket because of a lack of exposure to the format.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
She suffered a knee injury on the job and had to stop working when Goodwin was little, and now has only Social Security to rely on for income.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
For my part, I took on the job of locking the house each night when my father was away.
From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai
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.
