job
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A task, or series of tasks, carried out in batch mode.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
jahbIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdʒɑb
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
computing
A task, or series of tasks, carried out in batch mode (especially on a mainframe computer).
An economic role for which a person is paid.
in noun compounds
Plastic surgery.
A public transaction done for private profit; something performed ostensibly as a part of official duty, but really for private gain; a corrupt official business.
figurative
A person who shows remarkable patience, especially in the face of great misfortune.
colloquial
A thing or whatsit (often used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall).
verb
intransitive
To do odd jobs or occasional work for hire.
intransitive
To work as a jobber.
intransitive
To seek private gain under pretence of public service; to turn public matters to private advantage.
To hire or let in periods of service.
transitive
To pierce or poke (someone or something), typically with a sharp or pointed object; to stab.
intransitiveprofessional wrestling slang
To take the loss, usually in a demeaning or submissive manner.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A task, or series of tasks, carried out in batch mode (especially on a mainframe computer).
Used this way, job is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a computing use: it carries a fixed technical meaning inside software and systems work.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technology
- Technical/specialist writing
- Business/professional
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use job
- “It is their job to print the truth.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Slang for masturbation.
A false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions.
Some transgression committed with the assistance of someone trusted by the victim.
A problem-oriented language used to describe job requirements to an operating system.
A terminal designed for a particular application.
A temporary action by workers to protest management decision or to make demands.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: task or or series of tasks
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.