on-the-job
adjective
done, received, or happening while in actual performance of one's work.
Showing results for on-the-job.
Search instead for
on-the-go meals.
Jump To:
-
on-the-job
-
on the job
on the job
At work, busy, as in We've got three men on the job . [Late 1800s]
on-the-job
American
[on-thuh-job, awn-]
/ ˈɒn ðəˌdʒɒb, ˈɔn- /
adjective
on the job
Idioms
-
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 .
Etymology
Origin of on-the-job
First recorded in 1935–40
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:
That was when they discovered another hurdle to getting medical bills paid for on-the-job injuries in North Dakota: There are just two lawyers left in the state who will represent injured workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
“Californians need an experienced and trusted leader who doesn’t need on-the-job training.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 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
A 16-year-old lifeguard in his first summer on the job helped rescue a child from pounding waves in Santa Cruz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
By evaluating students on the job, the firm can lock down top prospects with full-time offers a year or more before they graduate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Darline Graham, who wrapped her first full week on the job Friday, has already done so twice over.
From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026
There’s only one scene of the women on the job and no sense of a crew or a director.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Do I think safety on the job is the responsibility of management?
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
