/ dʒɒb; NAmE dʒɑːb/ noun
PAID WORK
1.
work for which you receive regular payment :
He's trying to get a job .
She took a job as a waitress.
His brother's just lost his job .
a summer / holiday / Saturday / vacation job
a temporary / permanent job
I'm thinking of applying for a new job .
The takeover of the company is bound to mean more job losses .
Many women are in part-time jobs .
Did they offer you the job ?
He certainly knows his job (= is very good at his job) .
I'm only doing my job (= I'm doing what I am paid to do) .
He's been out of a job (= unemployed) for six months now.
She's never had a steady job (= a job that is not going to end suddenly) .
TASK
2.
a particular task or piece of work that you have to do :
I've got various jobs around the house to do.
Sorting these papers out is going to be a long job.
The builder has a couple of jobs on at the moment.
—see also blow job , nose job ➡ note at task
DUTY
3.
[ usually sing. ] a responsibility or duty :
It's not my job to lock up!
CRIME
4.
( informal ) a crime, especially stealing :
a bank job
an inside job (= done by sb in the organization where the crime happens)
OBJECT
5.
( informal ) a particular kind of thing :
It's real wood—not one of those plastic jobs.
COMPUTING
6.
an item of work which is done by a computer as a single unit
•
IDIOMS
- do the job
- do a good, bad, etc. job (on sth) | make a good, bad, etc. job of sth
- give sb/sth up as a bad job
- good job!
- a good job
- have a (hard / difficult) job doing / to do sth
- a job of work
- jobs for the boys
- just the job
- more than your job's worth (to do sth)
- on the job
—more at best noun , devil , walk verb
••
SYNONYMS
job
post ♦ position ♦ vacancy ♦ placement ♦ appointment ♦ opening
These are all words for a position doing work for which you receive regular payment.
job
a position doing work for which you receive regular payment:
He's trying to get a job in a bank.
post
a job, especially an important one in a large organization:
a key post in the new government
position
( rather formal ) a job:
a senior position in a large corporation
job or position?
Position usually refers a particular job within an organization, especially at a high level, and is not usually used about about jobs generally. It is also often used in job applications, descriptions and advertisements.
vacancy
a job that is available for sb to do:
We have several vacancies for casual workers.
placement
( BrE ) a job, often as part of a course of study, in which you get experience of a particular type of work:
a summer placement with a computer firm
appointment
( rather formal , especially BrE ) a job or position of responsibility:
This is a permanent appointment, requiring commitment and hard work.
opening
a job that is available for sb to do:
There are several openings in the sales department.
vacancy or opening?
These words have the same meaning and there is very little difference in their use. Vacancy is more frequent, especially in British English. Opening is slightly more informal and is used more in American English and in financial journalism.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
a permanent / temporary job / post / position / vacancy / placement / appointment / opening
a full-time / part-time job / post / position / vacancy / placement / appointment / opening
to have / have got a(n) job / post / position / vacancy / placement / appointment / opening
to apply for a job / post / position / vacancy / placement
to hold a(n) job / post / position / appointment
to fill a(n) job / post / position / vacancy / appointment / opening
to resign from / leave / quit a job / post / position
••
WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (in sense 2 of the noun): of unknown origin.