career

1 of 2

noun

ca·​reer kə-ˈrir How to pronounce career (audio)
1
: a profession for which one trains and which is undertaken as a permanent calling
a career in medicine
often used before another noun
a career diplomat
2
: a field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement especially in public, professional, or business life
Washington's career as a soldier
3
a
: speed in a course
used especially in the phrases in full career or at full career
The trumpets sounded, and the knights charged each other in full career.Sir Walter Scott
b
: course, passage
the sun's career across the sky
4

career

2 of 2

verb

careered; careering; careers

intransitive verb

: to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner
a car careered off the road

Did you know?

In medieval tournaments, jousting required knights to ride at full speed in short bursts, and the noun career (coming from Middle French carriere) was used to refer to such gallops as well as to the courses that knights rode. The related verb came to mean "to go at top speed." The familiar career, referring to one's job, originated from these uses.

Did you know?

Careen and Career

Some people might be confused by the warning to not confuse careen and career, because the most common sense of career ("a profession") is not much like any of the meanings of careen. But when employed as a verb, career does have some semantic overlap with careen; both words may be used to mean "to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner." A car, for instance, may either careen or career. Some usage guides hold, however, that the car is only careening if there is side-to-side motion, as careen has other meanings related to movement, among which is "to sway from side to side."

Examples of career in a Sentence

Noun She hopes to pursue a career in medicine. My career as a waitress lasted one day. During his long career in advertising he won numerous awards and honors. Verb she careered off to the class she'd almost forgotten
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Kylie Kelce just honored her husband Jason Kelce's 13-year NFL career. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 In the 2023 season, Smith appeared in all 17 games (six starts) and caught 50 passes for 582 yards, both career highs, as well as three touchdowns. Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 The restaurant’s refrigerator is plastered with photos of their children, who have carved out careers outside the restaurant industry, and young grandchildren. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 Wolfgang Van Halen isn’t exactly dazzled by Diamond Dave’s comments about his career. EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024 Rojas Marquez is an emergency room resident physician at Boston Medical Center and a co-founder of Pre-Health Dreamers, an organization that helps immigrants access healthcare and pursue careers in the field. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 He's achieved a lot in his career, but also seems bolstered by getting back to the roots of music, by teaching others how to play. Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 It should be remembered that Xavi has his career as a player under suspicion, because his matches are being investigated by the Prosecutor's Office and a judge. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 Then there are those of us whose career, and sometimes our office, is outside in the fresh air. Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
This video is currently not available China and the United States are careering toward an inevitable collision, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Tuesday, a day after Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a rare direct accusation that Washington was trying to contain China. Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2023 The unlucky loner is Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), bright and disruptive, who has already been kicked out of three schools and is careering fast toward his fourth kick. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2023 The woods, the streams, the snowy hills the friends career off—the natural world is a space as enchanted and real as Hobbes himself. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023 From the clocks positioned along the Pebble Beach golf course, to the Daytonas strapped to the wrists of the drivers careering around the treacherous Corkscrew curve at Laguna Seca, the brand was, quite literally, everywhere in Monterey. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 25 Aug. 2023 But first — a car chase while handcuffed together driving a microscopic yellow Fiat, careering through the streets of Rome like a demented billiard ball. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 6 July 2023 The story careers on to the first of the trilogy’s climaxes. Teresa M. Hanafin, BostonGlobe.com, 4 June 2023 The sponsors provide scholarships for National Merit finalists who are children of their employees, residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage. Laura Groch, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2023 Early on the morning of May 6, 1682, the Royal Navy warship Gloucester careered into a large sandbank off the port of Yarmouth. Jenny Uglow, The New York Review of Books, 4 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'career.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French carriere, from Old Occitan carriera street, from Medieval Latin carraria road for vehicles, from Latin carrus car

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1534, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of career was circa 1534

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Dictionary Entries Near career

Cite this Entry

“Career.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/career. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

career

1 of 2 noun
ca·​reer kə-ˈri(ə)r How to pronounce career (audio)
1
b
: full speed or activity
in full career
2
: a course of continued progress or activity
3
: a profession followed as a permanent occupation

career

2 of 2 verb
: to go at top speed
a car careered off the road

More from Merriam-Webster on career

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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