Adjacent Words

Job definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

JOB, n. [of unknown origin, but perhaps allied to chop, primarily to strike or drive.]
1. A piece of work; any thing to be done, whether of more or less importance. The carpenter or mason undertakes to build a house by the job. The erection of Westminster bridge was a heavy job; and it was a great job to erect Central wharf, in Boston. The mechanic has many small jobs on hand.
2. A lucrative business; an undertaking with a view to profit.
No cheek is known to blush nor heart to throb,
Save when they lose a question or a job.
3. A sudden stab with a pointed instrument. [This seems to be nearly the original sense.]
To do the job for one, to kill him.
JOB, v.t. To strike or stab with a sharp instrument.
1. To drive in a sharp pointed instrument.
JOB, v.i. To deal in the public stocks; to buy and sell as a broker.
The judge shall job, the bishop bite the town,
and mighty dukes pack cards for half a crown.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money; "he's not in my line of business" [syn: occupation, business, job, line of work, line]
2: a specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee; "estimates of the city's loss on that job ranged as high as a million dollars"; "the job of repairing the engine took several hours"; "the endless task of classifying the samples"; "the farmer's morning chores" [syn: job, task, chore]
3: a workplace; as in the expression "on the job";
4: an object worked on; a result produced by working; "he held the job in his left hand and worked on it with his right"
5: the responsibility to do something; "it is their job to print the truth"
6: the performance of a piece of work; "she did an outstanding job as Ophelia"; "he gave it up as a bad job"
7: a damaging piece of work; "dry rot did the job of destroying the barn"; "the barber did a real job on my hair"
8: a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved; "she and her husband are having problems"; "it is always a job to contact him"; "urban problems such as traffic congestion and smog" [syn: problem, job]
9: a Jewish hero in the Old Testament who maintained his faith in God in spite of afflictions that tested him
10: any long-suffering person who withstands affliction without despairing
11: (computer science) a program application that may consist of several steps but is a single logical unit
12: a book in the Old Testament containing Job's pleas to God about his afflictions and God's reply [syn: Job, Book of Job]
13: a crime (especially a robbery); "the gang pulled off a bank job in St. Louis" [syn: caper, job] v
1: profit privately from public office and official business
2: arranged for contracted work to be done by others [syn: subcontract, farm out, job]
3: work occasionally; "As a student I jobbed during the semester breaks"
4: invest at a risk; "I bought this house not because I want to live in it but to sell it later at a good price, so I am speculating" [syn: speculate, job]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Latin, from Greek I?b, from Hebrew Iyy?bh Date: 14th century 1. the hero of the book of Job who endures afflictions with fortitude and faith 2. a narrative and poetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture — see bible table

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: perhaps from obsolete English job lump Date: circa 1627 1. a. a piece of work; especially a small miscellaneous piece of work undertaken on order at a stated rate b. the object or material on which work is being done c. something produced by or as if by work <do a better job next time> d. an example of a usually specified type ; item <a 14,000-square-foot job with…seven bedrooms — Rick Telander> 2. a. something done for private advantage <suspected the whole incident was a put-up job> b. a criminal enterprise; specifically robbery c. a damaging or destructive bit of work <did a job on him> 3. a. (1) something that has to be done ; task (2) an undertaking requiring unusual exertion <it was a real job to talk over that noise> b. a specific duty, role, or function c. a regular remunerative position d. chiefly British state of affairs — usually used with bad or good <it was a good job you didn't hit the old man — E. L. Thomas> 4. plastic surgery for cosmetic purposes <a nose job> Synonyms: see task II. verb (jobbed; jobbing) Date: 1694 intransitive verb 1. to do odd or occasional pieces of work for hire 2. to carry on public business for private gain 3. to carry on the business of a middleman or wholesaler transitive verb 1. to buy and sell (as stock) for profit ; speculate 2. to hire or let by the job or for a period of service 3. to get, deal with, or effect by jobbery 4. to do or cause to be done by separate portions or lots ; subcontract — often used with out 5. to penalize or deprive unfairly III. adjective Date: 1710 1. British that is for hire for a given service or period 2. used in, engaged in, or done as job work <a job shop> 3. of or relating to a job or to employment <a guarantee of job security>

Britannica Concise

Central character of the Book of Job in the Old Testament, known for his faithfulness to God despite his many afflictions. At the beginning, Job is a wealthy man with a large family. Satan challenges God to allow him to take away Job's blessings as a test of his faith. Soon Job is desolate, covered with boils, his wealth gone and his family dead. Three friends arrive to comfort him; he disputes with them, denying he has done anything to deserve this misery but maintaining his faith in God. At the end, in a confrontation with God, the power and mystery of the deity are memorably reasserted, but the problem of why the innocent suffer is left unresolved. The book dates from the 6th-4th cent. BC.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a piece of work, esp. one done for hire or profit. 2 a paid position of employment. 3 colloq. anything one has to do. 4 colloq. a difficult task (had a job to find them). 5 a product of work, esp. if well done. 6 Computing an item of work regarded separately. 7 sl. a crime, esp. a robbery. 8 a transaction in which private advantage prevails over duty or public interest. 9 a state of affairs or set of circumstances (is a bad job). --v. (jobbed, jobbing) 1 intr. do jobs; do piece-work. 2 a intr. deal in stocks. b tr. buy and sell (stocks or goods) as a middleman. 3 a intr. turn a position of trust to private advantage. b tr. deal corruptly with (a matter). 4 tr. US sl. swindle. Phrases and idioms: job-control language Computing a language enabling the user to determine the tasks to be undertaken by the operating system. job-hunt colloq. seek employment. job lot a miscellaneous group of articles, esp. bought together. jobs for the boys colloq. profitable situations etc. to reward one's supporters. job-sharing an arrangement by which a full-time job is done jointly by several part-time employees who share the remuneration. just the job colloq. exactly what is wanted. make a job (or good job) of do thoroughly or successfully. on the job colloq. 1 at work; in the course of doing a piece of work. 2 engaged in sexual intercourse. out of a job unemployed. Etymology: 16th c.: orig. unkn. 2. v. & n. --v. (jobbed, jobbing) 1 tr. prod; stab slightly. 2 intr. (foll. by at) thrust. --n. a prod or thrust; a jerk at a horse's bit. Etymology: ME, app. imit.: cf. JAB

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Job Job, v. i. 1. To do chance work for hire; to work by the piece; to do petty work. Authors of all work, to job for the season. --Moore. 2. To seek private gain under pretense of public service; to turn public matters to private advantage. And judges job, and bishops bite the town. --Pope. 3. To carry on the business of a jobber in merchandise or stocks.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Job Job, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Jobbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Jobbing.] 1. To strike or stab with a pointed instrument. --L'Estrange. 2. To thrust in, as a pointed instrument. --Moxon. 3. To do or cause to be done by separate portions or lots; to sublet (work); as, to job a contract.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Job Job, n. [Prov. E. job, gob, n., a small piece of wood, v., to stab, strike; cf. E. gob, gobbet; perh. influenced by E. chop to cut off, to mince. See Gob.] 1. A sudden thrust or stab; a jab. 2. A piece of chance or occasional work; any definite work undertaken in gross for a fixed price; as, he did the job for a thousand dollars. 3. 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. 4. Any affair or event which affects one, whether fortunately or unfortunately. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Job Job, n. The hero of the book of that name in the Old Testament; the typical patient man. Job's comforter. (a) A false friend; a tactless or malicious person who, under pretense of sympathy, insinuates rebukes. (b) A boil. [Colloq.] Job's news, bad news. --Carlyle. Job's tears (Bot.), a kind of grass (Coix Lacryma), with hard, shining, pearly grains.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(jobs) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. A job is the work that someone does to earn money. Once I'm in America I can get a job... Thousands have lost their jobs... I felt the pressure of being the first woman in the job. ...overseas job vacancies. N-COUNT 2. A job is a particular task. He said he hoped that the job of putting together a coalition wouldn't take too much time... N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n, n N 3. The job of a particular person or thing is their duty or function. Their main job is to preserve health rather than treat illness... Drinking a lot helps the kidneys do their job. N-COUNT: usu with poss 4. If you say that someone is doing a good job, you mean that they are doing something well. In British English, you can also say that they are making a good job of something. We could do a far better job of managing it than they have... N-SING: usu adj N, oft N of -ing/n 5. If you say that you have a job doing something, you are emphasizing how difficult it is. He may have a hard job selling that argument to investors... N-SING: usu N -ing, N to-inf [emphasis] 6. see also jobbing, day job, hatchet job, on-the-job 7. If you refer to work as jobs for the boys, you mean that the work is unfairly given to someone's friends, supporters, or relations, even though they may not be the best qualified people to do it. (BRIT) PHRASE [disapproval] 8. If you say that something is just the job, you mean that it is exactly what you wanted or needed. (BRIT INFORMAL) Not only is it just the job for travelling, but it's handy for groceries too. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR 9. If someone is on the job, they are actually doing a particular job or task. The top pay scale after five years on the job would reach $5.00 an hour... PHRASE 10. it's a good job: see good the job in hand: see hand

Hitchcock Bible Dictionary

he that weeps or cries

Easton's Bible Dictionary

persecuted, an Arabian patriarch who resided in the land of Uz (q.v.). While living in the midst of great prosperity, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a series of sore trials that fell upon him. Amid all his sufferings he maintained his integrity. Once more God visited him with the rich tokens of his goodness and even greater prosperity than he had enjoyed before. He survived the period of trial for one hundred and forty years, and died in a good old age, an example to succeeding generations of integrity (Ezek. 14:14, 20) and of submissive patience under the sorest calamities (James 5:11). His history, so far as it is known, is recorded in his book.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

job ('iyobh, meaning of name doubtful; some conjecturing "object of enmity," others "he who turns," etc., to God; both uncertain guesses; Iob): The titular hero of the Book of Job, represented as a wealthy and pious land-holder who lived in patriarchal times, or at least conditions, in the land of Uz, on the borders of Idumea. Outside of the Book of Job he is mentioned by Ezekiel (Eze 14:14,20) as one of 3 great personages whose representative righteousness would presumably avail, if that of any individuals could, to redeem the nation; the other two being Noah, an ancient patriarch, and Daniel, a contemporary of the prophet. It is difficult to determine whether Job was an actual personage or not. If known through legend, it must have been on account of some such experience as is narrated in the book, an experience unique enough to have become a potent household word; still, the power and influence of it is due to the masterly vigor and exposition of the story. It was the Job of literature, rather than the Job of legend, who lived in the hearts of men; a character so commanding that, albeit fictitious, it could be referred to as real, just as we refer to Hamlet or Othello. It is not the way of Hebrew writers, however, to evolve literary heroes from pure imagination; they crave an authentic basis of fact. It is probable that such a basis, in its essential outlines, existed under the story of Job. It is not necessary to suppose, however, that the legend or the name was known to Israel from ancient times. Job is introduced (Job 1:1) as if he had not been known before. The writer, who throughout the book shows a wide acquaintance with the world, doubtless found the legend somewhere, and drew its meanings together for an undying message to his and all times.

John Franklin Genung

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Piece of work. II. v. n. Do job-work, work at jobs.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A guinea.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To reprove or reprehend. CAMBRIDGE TERM.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

Any robbery. To do a job; to commit some kind of robbery.

Foolish Dictionary

An uncertain commodity regulated by a Union Card.

Moby Thesaurus

accomplished fact, accomplishment, achievement, act, acta, action, adventure, affair, appointment, assignment, bamboozle, be in, befool, berth, billet, blow, burglary, business, busywork, calling, capacity, caper, carry, character, chare, charge, charter, chicane, chore, close out, commission, concern, concernment, connection, convert into cash, coup, cut under, deal in, dealings, deed, devoir, doing, doings, dump, duty, effect a sale, effort, employment, endeavor, engagement, enterprise, errand, exercise, exploit, fait accompli, farm, farm out, feat, filch, fish to fry, flimflam, fool, function, gest, gig, go, grab, gull, hand, handiwork, handle, heist, hire, hire out, hoax, homework, incumbency, interest, job of work, labor, lease, lease out, lease-back, lease-lend, lend-lease, let, let off, let out, lift, line, make a sale, make-work, maneuver, market, matter, matters in hand, measure, merchandise, mission, moonlighting, move, niche, occupation, odd job, office, opening, operation, overt act, part, passage, performance, piece of work, pigeon, pinch, place, position, post, posting, proceeding, production, profession, project, province, pursuit, racket, rent, rent out, res gestae, resell, retail, rip-off, robbery, role, sacrifice, second job, sell, sell off, sell on consignment, sell out, sell over, sell retail, sell short, sell up, sell wholesale, service, situation, slot, spot, station, steal, step, stint, stroke, stunt, sublease, sublet, task, tenure, theft, thing, thing done, things to do, tour de force, trade, trade in, traffic in, transaction, turn, turn into money, turn over, undercut, underlet, undersell, undertaking, unload, vacancy, victimize, vocation, wholesale, work, works