on-the-job
Americanadjective
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At work, busy, as in We've got three men on the job . [Late 1800s]
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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.
AI has automated entry-level tasks that once served as on-the-job training.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
They cannot offer on-the-job training in the majors, lest their team find itself at a competitive disadvantage.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2026
On a recent day off from making lattes and Frappuccinos, Starbucks barista Bridget Baron came into work to do something the company usually frowns upon: posting an on-the-job TikTok.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025
“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
Holly had enough on-the-job experience to realize that she was under fire, and immediately curled her elfin frame into a ball, minimizing the target.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
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.
