on-the-job
adjective
done, received, or happening while in actual performance of one's work.
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:
Apprentices are generally paid a lower wage but get on-the-job training and practical work experience.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
"Look, the United States Senate is no place for on-the-job training," Fry said last during a primary debate last week.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
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
To address their lack of work experience, the firm gave them 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and also channeled them to SAU Tech, for 80 hours of coursework.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026
“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
Former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, Conte and ex-Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann are all understood to have their eyes on the job.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
But, while BBC Sport understands Conte is keen on the job, the Italian says he is not in "advanced" talks with any club.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
With a decade or two on the job, they could look across a room and spot who was having a heart attack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
To ease his anxiety, a 16-year-old New Yorker put up signs asking to shadow people on the job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Over four days in my first months on the job, I got to enter another realm normally guarded jealously by senior officers: transportation detail.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
