job

English Online Dictionary. What means job‎? What does job mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, Canada) enPR: jŏb, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɒb/
• (General American) enPR: jŏb, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɑb/
• Rhymes: -ɒb

Etymology 1

From the phrase jobbe of work (“piece of work”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of Middle English gobbe (“mass, lump”); or perhaps related to Middle English jobben (“to jab, thrust, peck”), or Middle English choppe (“piece, bargain”). More at gob, jab, chop.

Noun

job (plural jobs)

1. A task.
2. An economic role for which a person is paid.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Here I am at my new job!

3. (in noun compounds) Plastic surgery.

4. (in noun compounds) A sex act.
5. (computing) A task, or series of tasks, carried out in batch mode (especially on a mainframe computer).
6. 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.
7. (informal) A robbery or heist.
8. Any affair or event which affects one, whether fortunately or unfortunately.
9. (colloquial) A thing or whatsit (often used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall).

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:thingy
10. (UK, slang, law enforcement) The police as a profession, act of policing, or an individual police officer.
11. (vulgar, slang) A penis.

Usage notes

Descendants

• → Antillean Creole: djòb
• → French: job
• → Louisiana Creole: djòb

Translations

Verb

job (third-person singular simple present jobs, present participle jobbing, simple past and past participle jobbed)

1. (intransitive) To do odd jobs or occasional work for hire.
2. (intransitive) To work as a jobber.
3. (intransitive, professional wrestling slang) To take the loss, usually in a demeaning or submissive manner.
4. (transitive, trading) To buy and sell for profit, as securities; to speculate in.
5. (transitive, often with out) To subcontract a project or delivery in small portions to a number of contractors.

6. (intransitive) To seek private gain under pretence of public service; to turn public matters to private advantage.
7. To hire or let in periods of service.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

Etymology 2

Imitative.

Verb

job (third-person singular simple present jobs, present participle jobbing, simple past and past participle jobbed)

1. (intransitive, now rare, regional) To peck (of a bird); (more generally) to poke or prod (at, into). [from 15th c.]
2. (transitive) To pierce or poke (someone or something), typically with a sharp or pointed object; to stab. [from 16th c.]

   Synonyms: jab, run through; see also Thesaurus:stab
3. (transitive, now Australia) To hit (someone) with a quick, sharp punch; to jab. [from 19th c.]

Noun

job (plural jobs)

2. (obsolete) A sudden thrust or stab; a jab or punch. [16th–20th c.]

References

Anagrams

• BOJ, obj

Chinese

Etymology

From English job.

Pronunciation

Noun

job

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) job (a non-permanent job, from which one is paid); tasks in one's work (Classifier: 單／单 c; 個／个 c)

   接job [Cantonese]  ―  zip³ zop¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to take a job

References

• English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

Danish

Etymology

From English job.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈd̥jʌb̥]

Noun

job n

1. job

Declension

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English job.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒɔp/
• Hyphenation: job
• Rhymes: -ɔp

Noun

job f (plural jobs)

1. (chiefly Belgium) job

   Synonym: baan

Usage notes

Job is the default word for a job in Belgium. In the Netherlands baan is the default; however, job is sometimes used informally or in certain sectors (e.g. marketing), but it may also be considered pretentious due to an association with yuppies.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English job.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʒɔb/

Noun

job m or f (plural jobs)

1. (informal) job (employment role)
2. (North America, informal) work

Usage notes

• This term is feminine in Quebec and some parts of Louisiana, and masculine elsewhere.

Synonyms

• (informal) boulot

Further reading

• “job”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English job.

Noun

job m (invariable)

1. job (employment role, computing task)

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English job.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒɔbi/, /ˈdʒɔb/

Noun

job m (plural jobs)

1. (Brazil, computing) job (task carried out in batch mode)

   Synonym: tarefa

1. (Brazil, slang) prostitution

   Ela é do job ― She's a hooker

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English job.

Noun

job n (plural joburi)

1. job

Declension

Zaghawa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɟɔp/

Noun

job

1. pocket

Further reading

• Beria-English English-Beria Dictionary [provisional] ADESK, Iriba, Kobe Department, Chad