job
job — noun
1. the paid activity that you do regularly for an employer or as your own business
the paid activity that you do regularly for an employer or as your own business in order to earn money.
Hui found a job at the local bookstore after finishing school.
collocation: find a job + at [place]
Christopher's job as a nurse requires him to work night shifts twice a week.
pattern: job as [role]
Niran applied for several jobs last month but has not heard back yet.
My sister loves her new job because the team is very friendly and helpful.
Devika took a part-time job at a cafe to save money for her university course.
- work
uncountable; job = a specific position, work = the general activity of earning money
- position
more formal, often used in professional contexts
- post
especially in government, military, or academic contexts
- occupation
used on official forms; a neutral label for the type of work you do
- unemployment
the state of being without a job
文法句型
job + as + role
job + at/in + place
常見錯誤
2. a polite phrase used to describe being without paid work, especially for a short
a polite phrase used to describe being without paid work, especially for a short period between one position and the next.
Noor was between jobs for a few months after the startup closed down.
phrase: be between jobs
Marco said he was between jobs, though he had not actually started looking yet.
The short time between jobs gave Tamar a chance to travel through Southeast Asia.
Writing 'between jobs' on a form can sound more professional than writing 'unemployed'.
- unemployed
direct statement; less polite but more honest
- out of work
informal, neutral way of saying unemployed
- redundant
British English; specifically when your employer no longer needs you
- employed
having a job
文法句型
be + between jobs
用法筆記
A polite euphemism for unemployed. Often used in formal or professional contexts such as résumés, forms, or conversations about career gaps. Avoid in informal speech where 'unemployed' or 'out of work' is more direct.
常見錯誤
3. a specific task that you are asked to do or complete, especially one with a clea
a specific task that you are asked to do or complete, especially one with a clear aim that takes a limited amount of time.
Gabriela had the job of painting the fence before the party on Saturday.
pattern: the job of -ing
The job of organizing the school trip to the museum fell to the new teacher.
Moving all the furniture into the new apartment was a big job that took all weekend.
Baraka asked his neighbour to help him with the job of cleaning out the garage.
The plumber did a great job fixing the broken pipe under the kitchen sink.
- task
more general; a piece of work that has to be done, not necessarily paid
- project
a larger, planned piece of work that takes time
- assignment
often used in school or work contexts for a specific duty
- chore
a small, routine task, especially around the house
文法句型
the job of + -ing
a/an + adjective + job
用法筆記
Often preceded by an adjective (big, easy, hard, great) or a description of the task (the job of + gerund). Can also be used with 'do a ... job' to evaluate the quality of work done.
常見錯誤
4. something that you are expected or required to do as part of your role, duty, or
something that you are expected or required to do as part of your role, duty, or position in a group or organisation.
It is the security guard's job to check every bag at the entrance.
pattern: it is [someone's] job to [verb]
Making sure the guests are comfortable is the hotel manager's main job.
Rodrigo said it was not his job to answer customer complaints about the website.
Keeping the kitchen clean is every cook's job, not just one person's responsibility.
Ezra reminded the team that finishing the report on time was everyone's job.
- duty
moral or legal obligation, stronger than job
- responsibility
focuses on being answerable for something
- role
the function or part someone plays in a situation
文法句型
it is + someone's + job + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Commonly used in the structure 'it is someone's job to + infinitive' to indicate duty or responsibility. Unlike sense 1 (EMPLOYMENT), this sense does not imply the person is paid for this duty.
常見錯誤
❌ 'It's my job to take out the trash at home.' — This is correct English but in Taiwan English classrooms 'job' often implies paid work, so 'duty' or 'responsibility' may be more natural for household chores.
5. a difficult, unpleasant, or tiring experience or situation that requires effort
a difficult, unpleasant, or tiring experience or situation that requires effort to deal with.
The car repairs were going to be a hard job, so Lisa called a professional mechanic.
collocation: a hard job / a difficult job
Getting the old wooden table up the narrow stairs was quite a job.
Gabriela had a job trying to gather everyone's opinions before the meeting ended.
It was a real job to keep the children calm during the long train journey.
- breeze
something very easy to do; informal
文法句型
have a job + -ing
be a job to + infinitive
用法筆記
Common in British English in the informal structure 'have a job doing something', meaning 'find it difficult to do something'. The adjective 'real' or 'quite' often intensifies the difficulty.
6. an individual item or specimen of a certain kind that can be described by an adj
an individual item or specimen of a certain kind that can be described by an adjective, especially in informal British English.
That old blue car is a beautiful little job with shiny chrome bumpers.
pattern: a [adjective] little/old job
The house they bought is a modern job with big windows and a flat roof.
I prefer the wooden bookshelf — it is a fine job with lovely clean edges.
Hui picked a nice little ceramic job for a plant pot at the Sunday market.
文法句型
adjective + little/old + job
用法筆記
Informal, chiefly British. The noun is always preceded by an adjective (fine, nice, beautiful, modern, little, old) and often followed by a descriptor. Common in spoken British English to identify or evaluate an object.
7. an act of stealing from a bank, shop, or other place, or any other dishonest or
an act of stealing from a bank, shop, or other place, or any other dishonest or illegal activity carried out for financial gain.
The police arrested three men for the bank job on Main Street last month.
collocation: bank job
In the film, a group of teenagers pulls a clever job on a dishonest businessman.
The thieves got away with almost half a million dollars in the jewellery store job.
The newspaper called it the biggest job in the city's recent criminal history.
用法筆記
Informal slang for a robbery or criminal operation. Often used with an adjective or noun modifier to describe the type of crime (bank job, jewellery job). 'Pull a job' is a common informal collocation meaning 'commit a robbery'.
job — verb
1. to carry out small paid tasks for various people, usually on a temporary basis r
to carry out small paid tasks for various people, usually on a temporary basis rather than as a regular long-term employee.
Ezra jobs as a gardener during the summer months when the parks need extra help.
pattern: job as [role]
Tamar has been jobbing for several local families, fixing fences and painting sheds.
When Marco was a student, he jobbed around the neighbourhood washing cars and walking dogs.
The retired teacher now jobs as a private tutor for children in her apartment building.
文法句型
job + as [type of worker]
job + for [employer]
用法筆記
This verb sense is uncommon in modern everyday English. The more natural expression is 'do odd jobs' or 'work freelance'. The present participle 'jobbing' (jobbing gardener, jobbing builder) is more frequent than the base verb.
2. to use a public position or government office dishonestly for personal financial
to use a public position or government office dishonestly for personal financial benefit.
Several officials were caught jobbing by awarding contracts to companies they owned.
pattern: be caught jobbing (corrupt context)
The corruption report accused the former mayor of jobbing while in charge of city planning.
In the 1920s, some senators were known for jobbing and taking secret payments from lobbyists.
The newspaper exposed the minister for jobbing through fake consulting fees from state projects.
用法筆記
Very rare in modern English outside historical or legal contexts. The noun form 'jobbery' (corrupt activity in public office) is more common than the verb. In current usage, 'corruption' or 'graft' is preferred.
3. to trade financial assets or commodities, aiming to profit from short-term price
to trade financial assets or commodities, aiming to profit from short-term price movements rather than from holding them long-term.
The wealthy investor jobbed in oil shares and doubled his money within a year.
pattern: job in [commodity/shares]
Some traders job in agricultural products, buying wheat cheap before the harvest and selling it later.
Baraka jobbed the currency markets during the financial crisis and made a large profit.
In the nineteenth century, merchants often jobbed in cotton and tea on the London exchange.
文法句型
job + in [market/commodity]
用法筆記
This sense is historical; the modern term is 'speculate' or 'trade'. In modern finance, 'jobber' refers specifically to a former role on the London Stock Exchange (a market-maker).
4. to give a task or project to an external contractor or freelancer rather than ha
to give a task or project to an external contractor or freelancer rather than having your own staff handle it.
The construction firm jobbed the electrical work out to a smaller local company.
pattern: job out + to [company]
Instead of hiring full-time cleaners, the hospital jobs the cleaning to an outside service.
Lisa's printing shop was jobbed to finish the brochures for the city council's new campaign.
The software developer jobbed the testing phase to a team in another country to save costs.
- subcontract
the standard modern term
- outsource
to obtain work from an outside supplier, often overseas
文法句型
job + out + to [company/person]
用法筆記
Usually used with the particle 'out' (job out = subcontract). The modern and far more common verb is 'subcontract' or 'outsource'. This sense of 'job' is largely restricted to business and construction contexts.
job — adjective
1. relating to employment or the work that a person does to earn money.
relating to employment or the work that a person does to earn money.
Noor wore a formal suit to her job interview at the accounting firm.
collocation: job interview
The company's job fair attracted over two hundred applicants from the local area.
collocation: job fair
Hui updated her job title from assistant to manager on the company website.
Job security is an important factor for many people when choosing a career.
Christopher found several job opportunities listed on the local newspaper's website.
- employment
more formal; e.g. employment agency
- work
e.g. work experience; less formal than 'employment'
- career
longer-term perspective; e.g. career opportunities
文法句型
job + noun
用法筆記
Used attributively (before a noun) to form common compound nouns about employment. These combinations (job interview, job market, job satisfaction) are extremely frequent and often treated as fixed phrases.
2. describing work that is paid per task or project rather than per hour, or involv
describing work that is paid per task or project rather than per hour, or involving contracts for specific pieces of work.
The factory hired job workers during the busy season to handle the extra orders.
collocation: job worker
Many construction sites use job pricing, where each task has a fixed rate.
collocation: job pricing
The printing press took on job printing for small businesses that needed flyers and posters.
The tailor did job work for several clothing brands, sewing batches of shirts at a fixed price per batch.
文法句型
job + noun
用法筆記
Used primarily in industrial, manufacturing, or trade contexts to describe work paid by the piece or contract rather than by time. More specific than the adjective sense 1 (WORK-RELATED).
3. available to be employed for a particular service, purpose, or period of time, o
available to be employed for a particular service, purpose, or period of time, often on a temporary basis.
The celebrity arrived at the event with a job driver who had been hired for the whole weekend.
collocation: job [professional role]
In some cities you can rent a job car for a few hours through a mobile app.
The hotel kept a list of job gardeners who could help guests with their plants while they were away.
A job carpenter was called in to fix the stage before the concert the next evening.
文法句型
job + noun
用法筆記
An uncommon attributive use. 'Job + noun' (= 'for hire') overlaps with sense 2 (PIECEWORK). The distinction is that sense 3 focuses on the temporary nature of the hire ('for the job'), while sense 2 focuses on how the payment is calculated (per piece).