I. ˈjäb noun
( -s )
Etymology: perhaps from obsolete English, lump, from Middle English jobbe, perhaps alteration of gobbe — more at gob
1.
a. : a piece of work
did odd jobs for the neighborhood housewives
gave up the marriage as a bad job
the job before her, that of phrasing and rephrasing a fugue — Osbert Sitwell
the bridge was a bigger and longer job than the firm expected
: performance , achievement
the new biography is a superb job
too lazy to turn out an honest job
specifically : a small miscellaneous piece of work undertaken on order at a stated rate
have two offset jobs to print up today
the car needed a brake job
b. : a quality, product, or result of work
do a better job next time
a more uniform dye job is obtained in skeins — H.R.Mauersberger
c. : an example of a usually specified type : item
at the truck stop were three tractor-trailer jobs
the blonde job sitting at the bar
2. : something done for private advantage : deal ; especially : a collusive piece of business
his appointment as judge was a flagrant job
suspected the whole incident was a put-up job
3. chiefly Britain : a state or turn of affairs : a piece of luck : thing — used with bad or good
it was a good job you didn't hit the old man — E.L.Thomas
4. : a criminal enterprise ; specifically : robbery
the gang that pulled the bank job
5.
a. : a regular remunerative employment : position , situation
got a part-time job as a waiter in a café
holds a key job in the government
b. : a specific duty, role, or function : work customarily performed
the stokers' job was to feed coal into the furnaces
the white blood cells … have the job of fighting infection — Morris Fishbein
when more light is needed a stronger bulb will do the job
specifically : an activity or group of related activities contributing to a larger process
divide the manufacturing process into a number of carefully defined jobs assigned to individual workers
6. : an undertaking requiring unusual exertion : effort
the radio whined so loud that it was a job to talk through it — Rose Macaulay
7. : the object or material on which work is being done
held the job with tongs while he hammered it
8. : the actual process of doing a piece of work : the activity of a job
learned plumbing on the job itself
get on with the job of planning the trip
stuck to the job till the tire was off
9. : the area used in carrying on a job (as of construction)
lumber stored in piles on the job
10. jobs plural : defective or slow-selling goods (as publishers' remainders) sold at reduced prices
11. slang : a thoroughly damaging piece of work : a job of destruction or disablement — usually used in the phrase do a job on
the collision really did a job on their car
did a job on his rival in the third game, letting him score only one point
Synonyms: see task
•
- on the job
II. verb
( jobbed ; jobbed ; jobbing ; jobs )
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to do odd or occasional pieces of work for hire : work by the piece
supported himself by jobbing in local orchestras
b. : to do job work
2.
a. : to direct or carry on public business so as to secure private advantage or graft
b. : to seek or give a political favor in return for secret influence or graft
a bit of jobbing … got a grand jury presentment to make a road which served nobody's interest but his own — Samuel Lover
3. : to carry on the business of a middleman : trade in wholesale lots
his company jobs and doesn't sell to the homeowner
transitive verb
1. : to buy and sell (as stock) or let (as a property) for profit : speculate
2. : to hire or let by the job or for a period of service
job a carriage for the time he would be in the city
3. : to make a job of (a matter of public trust or duty) : get, deal with, or effect by jobbery
4. : to do or cause to be done by separate portions or lots : sublet
job the city paving to the lowest bidders
5. : to do a job on : swindle , trick
claimed he had been jobbed out of the championship
: dispose of (as by political intrigue)
assured his election by jobbing his political rival
III. adjective
1. Britain : that is for hire by the job or for a given service or period
job carriage at 2 guineas a day
a job gardener
2.
a. : used in or suitable for job work
job type
b. : engaged in job work
job printer
job shop
c. : done as job work
job printing
3. : of or relating to a job or to employment
guarantee of job security
gloom in the job market
IV. verb
( jobbed ; jobbed ; jobbing ; jobs )
Etymology: Middle English jobben
intransitive verb
chiefly dialect : jab
transitive verb
1. chiefly dialect : jab
2. chiefly Australia : to strike or hit especially with a heavy blow
V. noun
( -s )
: a one-handed stroke used in field hockey by a tackler to push the ball away from an opponent's stick