n. & v.
n. 1 a piece of work, esp. one done for hire or profit. 2 a paid position of employment. 3 colloq. anything one has to do. 4 colloq. a difficult task (had a job to find them). 5 a product of work, esp. if well done. 6 Computing an item of work regarded separately. 7 sl. a crime, esp. a robbery. 8 a transaction in which private advantage prevails over duty or public interest. 9 a state of affairs or set of circumstances (is a bad job).
v. (jobbed, jobbing) 1 intr. do jobs; do piece-work. 2 a intr. deal in stocks. b tr. buy and sell (stocks or goods) as a middleman. 3 a intr. turn a position of trust to private advantage. b tr. deal corruptly with (a matter). 4 tr. US sl. swindle. job-control language Computing a language enabling the user to determine the tasks to be undertaken by the operating system. job-hunt colloq. seek employment. job lot a miscellaneous group of articles, esp. bought together. jobs for the boys colloq. profitable situations etc. to reward one's supporters. job-sharing an arrangement by which a full-time job is done jointly by several part-time employees who share the remuneration. just the job colloq. exactly what is wanted. make a job (or good job) of do thoroughly or successfully. on the job colloq. 1 at work; in the course of doing a piece of work. 2 engaged in sexual intercourse. out of a job unemployed.
[ 16th c.: orig. unkn. ]