career
- 01 C1 Advanced
v.to move very fast in a way that looks dangerous or out of control.
v.to move at high speed in an uncontrolled or reckless manner.
Simple“The car careered down the hill after the brakes failed.”
In context“The heavy wagon careered wildly across the wet cobblestones, narrowly missing the pedestrians who scrambled for safety.”
Usageintransitive; frequently followed by prepositions of direction like 'down', 'off', or 'into'
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.used to describe someone who does something as their main job, often something unusual or bad.
adj.denoting an individual who pursues a specific activity—often non-traditional or illicit—as a permanent profession.
Simple“The police finally caught the career criminal after years of searching.”
In context“He was described by the prosecution as a career diplomat who had spent decades navigating the complexities of international trade law.”
Usageattributive; always placed before the noun it modifies
SynonymsAntonyms
career vs profession — Career is the total path of a person's working life, while profession is a specific occupation requiring advanced training or credentials.
Usage career prospects · career opportunities · career options
Mid 16th century, from French carrière (“road; racecourse”), from Italian carriera, from Old Occitan carreira, from Late Latin carrāria based on Latin carrus (“wheeled vehicle”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱr̥sós, from ḱers- (“to run”); alternatively, from Middle French carriere, from Old Occitan.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.