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.
After his death, scores of mourners gathered outside the West L.A. station house where Deng worked to celebrate his time on the job.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
Dan Jarvis, the minister who took on the job of defence secretary, has just spent the last two weeks "refocusing" the DIP to take on more of the lessons from Ukraine and Iran.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
Now, it’s risen rapidly to become the No. 1 worry among workers — more than inflation or burnout on the job.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
But with the financial crisis in the rear view mirror, he said Greenspan "really fell down on the job when it came to regulatory policy."
From Barron's • Jun. 22, 2026
Like Washington, Tallmadge had no espionage training and had to learn on the job.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
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.
