English Reference
noun · verb

job

n. · v.
US /ˈdʒɑb/ job UK spelling job's, job's, jobbed

  1. 01 A1 Beginner

    n.the regular work that you do to earn money.

    n.a regular remunerative position; a specific role within the economy for which an individual receives a salary or wage.

    Simple

    She started her new job at the hospital last Monday.

    In context

    After months of searching, he finally secured a job in the renewable energy sector that matched his engineering background.

    Usage

    This is a countable noun.

    Pitfall
    I am looking for a new work. I am looking for a new job.

    'Job' is a countable noun, while 'work' is usually uncountable. You can have 'a job' but not 'a work'.

  2. 02 A2 Elementary

    n.a particular piece of work that you have to do.

    n.a specific piece of work or a task to be done, often as part of a larger project.

    Simple

    I have a few jobs to do around the house before the guests arrive.

    In context

    The manager assigned the most difficult jobs to the senior technicians to ensure the repairs were completed correctly.

  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Computing

    n.a set of instructions or a program that a computer processes at one time.

    n.a unit of work or a collection of tasks processed by a computer system, particularly in batch processing environments.

    Simple

    The print job was stuck in the queue for twenty minutes.

    In context

    The system administrator scheduled the data backup job to run automatically at midnight when server traffic was at its lowest.

    Usage

    Often used in the context of servers or mainframes.

  4. 04 B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    n.a crime, especially a robbery.

    n.a criminal act, specifically a planned robbery or heist.

    Simple

    The police believe the bank job was planned for months.

    In context

    The gang spent weeks scouting the jewellery store before attempting the high-stakes job.

  5. 05 C1 Advanced InformalBritish English

    n.a word used for an object when you cannot remember its name.

    n.a placeholder name for an object or device whose specific name is forgotten or unknown.

    Simple

    Pass me that plastic job for opening the jars.

    In context

    He was using one of those fancy electronic jobs to measure the distance between the walls.

    Usage

    Often used with 'that' or 'this'.

  6. 06 C2 Proficiency Formal

    v.to do small pieces of work for different people rather than having one regular job.

    v.to work at various odd jobs or to subcontract work in small portions.

    Simple

    He spent the summer jobbing for various local builders.

    In context

    The firm decided to job out the electrical components of the project to a specialised local contractor.

    Usage

    Often used in business or construction contexts.

    subcontractfreelance
Don't confuse

job vs work — Job is a countable noun for a specific role; work is an uncountable noun for the effort or activity itself.

Usage job market · job losses · jobs crisis


From Latin Iob, from Ancient Greek Ἰώβ (Iṓb), from Biblical Hebrew אִיּוֹב (ʾiyyōḇ), related to אָיַב (ʾāyaḇ, “to be an enemy”) and אוֹיֵב (ʾōyēḇ, “enemy”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin hbo אִיּוֹב
Level A1 · Beginner
Frequency Very common
Updated