job
1 (jŏb)
[Perhaps from obsolete jobbe, piece, alteration of Middle English gobbe, lump; see gob1.]
noun
- A regular activity performed in exchange for payment, especially as one's trade, occupation, or profession.
- A position in which one is employed.
- A task that must be done: Washing the windows is not my job.
- A specified duty or responsibility. See synonyms at task
- A specific piece of work to be done for a set fee: an expensive repair job.
- The object to be worked on.
- Something resulting from or produced by work.
- Computer Science A program application that may consist of several steps but is performed as a single logical unit.
- Informal A difficult or strenuous task: It was a real job to convince them to drop the charges.
- Informal A bad or unsatisfactory piece of work: The stylist did a real job on my hair.
- Informal A state of affairs: Their marriage was a bad job from the start. It's a good job that we left early to avoid the traffic.
- Informal A criminal act, especially a robbery: a bank job.
- Informal An example of a specified type, especially of something made or constructed. Often used in combination: a new building that is just another glass and steel job; a cowboy hat that is one of those ten-gallon jobs.
verb: jobbed, job·bing, jobs.
intransitive verb
- To work at odd jobs.
- To work by the piece.
- To act as a jobber.
transitive verb
- To purchase (merchandise) from manufacturers and sell it to retailers.
- To arrange for (contracted work) to be done in portions by others; subcontract.
- To transact (official business) dishonestly for private profit.
idioms
- on the job
- Paying close attention; on the alert.
job
2 (jŏb)
Archaic [Middle English jobben, of imitative origin.]
tr. & intr.v.: jobbed, job·bing, jobs.
- To jab or make a jab.
noun
- A jab.
Job
1 (jōb)
[Hebrew ’iyyôb.]
- In the Bible, an upright man whose faith in God survived the test of repeated calamities.
Job
2 (jōb)
[After Job 1.]
noun
- A book of the Bible.
