job
gb/d͡ʒˈɑb/ us/d͡ʒˈɑb/
A1
English
~ 300
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
Work position for pay
Work you do for money for a company or person.
Usage pattern:
to have [a job]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'job' with 'work'. 'Job' is countable and refers to a specific position, while 'work' is uncountable and refers to tasks or labor in general.
Synonyms
position (More formal, often used in business or official contexts.)
|
employment (General term for having work, slightly more formal.)
Antonyms
unemployment (The state of not having paid work.)
Collocations
full-time job
|part-time job
|job offer
|job interview
|job market
Themes
business
|daily life
|economy
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She finally found a job after months of searching.
- This is the best job I’ve ever had.
- He applied for a job at the software company.
- Losing his job was a huge setback.
- My brother has two jobs to support his family.
Learner examples
- I have a new job.
- She works at a bank. It is her job.
- He got a job in the city.
- My friend is looking for a job.
Noun
A2
entity
2
Specific piece of work
A small piece of work you have to do.
Usage pattern:
to do [a job]
Common mistake:
Some learners use 'job' here when 'work' would sound more natural in some contexts, but 'job' emphasizes the specific task.
Synonyms
task (Neutral term for a piece of work, not necessarily paid.)
|
assignment (Work given to someone, especially in school or work contexts.)
Antonyms
leisure (Free time without work or tasks.)
Collocations
finish the job
|do a good job
|tough job
Themes
daily life
|tasks
|work
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Painting the fence was a big job.
- Your job is to check all the reports before Friday.
- He did an excellent job fixing my car.
- This cleaning job will take all afternoon.
Learner examples
- My job today is to wash the car.
- It is a hard job to move these boxes.
- She did a good job on the project.
Noun
informal
B1
entity
3
Responsibility or duty
Something you are responsible for doing.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s job to [do something]
Synonyms
role (The function or part played by someone in a situation.)
Antonyms
freedom (Lack of obligation or responsibility.)
Collocations
your job to
|main job
|job of
Themes
daily life
|responsibility
|work
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- It’s your job to make sure everyone has the right information.
- My main job in the team is to keep track of expenses.
- It’s not my job to tell you what to think.
Learner examples
- It is my job to cook dinner.
- Her job is to help customers.
- It’s your job to clean your room.
Noun
informal
B2
event
4
Criminal act like theft or robbery
A crime, especially stealing or robbing.
Synonyms
heist (Informal term for a large and planned theft.)
Collocations
bank job
|inside job
|pull a job
Themes
crime
|law
Examples
- The gang planned a big bank job.
- It was clearly an inside job.
- They pulled three jobs before they were caught.
Learner examples
- The police stopped the bank job.
- It was an inside job by the guard.
Noun
informal
A2
entity
5
Result or quality of work done
How well something was done.
Synonyms
performance (More formal term for how well someone does something.)
Antonyms
failure (Poor result or lack of success in doing something.)
Collocations
good job
|bad job
Themes
daily life
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- You did a great job on this report.
- That paint job looks amazing.
- They made a terrible job of fixing the sink.
Learner examples
- Good job on your homework!
- She did a bad job on the cake.
Grammar
Dictionary form
job
IPA
GB/d͡ʒˈɑb/
US/d͡ʒˈɑb/
Syllables & stress
job (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (job)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: job
- Plural: jobs
Word family
Forms
jobs
noun
Core family
work
noun A1
Related words
Negative and opposite forms
jobless
adjective
unemployed
adjective B1
Advanced or less common
joblessness
noun
jobseeker
noun
Expressions
do the job
1/dˈu ðə d͡ʒˈɑb/
fixed phrase
informal
Be adequate for purpose/task completion
To be good enough to do what is needed.
Examples
- This tool should do the job just fine.
- A quick email should do the job.
good job
1/ɡˈʊd d͡ʒˈɑb/
fixed phrase
informal
Praise for doing something well
Used to say someone did something well.
Examples
- Good job on passing your exam!
- You did a good job cleaning the kitchen.
inside job
1/ˈɪnsˌaɪd d͡ʒˈɑb/
fixed phrase
informal
Crime by insider in organization affected
A crime done by someone who works in the place where it happened.
Examples
- The robbery was an inside job involving two employees.
- Police suspected it was an inside job from the start.
job hunting
1/d͡ʒˈɑb hˈʌntɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Searching for work/employment
Looking for a new job.
Examples
- She has been job hunting since she graduated.
- Job hunting can be stressful and time-consuming.
on the job
1/ˈɔn ðə d͡ʒˈɑb/
fixed phrase
During working hours/duties
Happening while you are working.
Examples
- He was injured on the job and had to take time off.
- You learn many skills on the job.