# career

/kɝˈɪɹ/ (US) · /kəɹˈiə/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/career
Updated: 2026-05-02

## Senses

### 2. to move fast

verb · CEFR C1 · Literary

to move very fast in a way that looks dangerous or out of control.

For teachers: to move at high speed in an uncontrolled or reckless manner.

- The car careered down the hill after the brakes failed.
- The heavy wagon careered wildly across the wet cobblestones, narrowly missing the pedestrians who scrambled for safety.

Usage: intransitive; frequently followed by prepositions of direction like 'down', 'off', or 'into'

### 3. professional

adjective · CEFR B2

used to describe someone who does something as their main job, often something unusual or bad.

For teachers: denoting an individual who pursues a specific activity—often non-traditional or illicit—as a permanent profession.

- The police finally caught the career criminal after years of searching.
- He was described by the prosecution as a career diplomat who had spent decades navigating the complexities of international trade law.

Usage: attributive; always placed before the noun it modifies

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.