Definition of career
1a : speed in a course ran at full careerb : course, passage the sun's career across the sky
3 : a field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement especially in public, professional, or business life Washington's career as a soldier
4 : 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
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career was our Word of the Day on 07/09/2008. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of career in a Sentence
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.
Origin and Etymology of career
Medieval French carriere, from Old Occitan carriera street, from Medieval Latin carraria road for vehicles, from Latin carrus car
First Known Use: circa 1534
career
Definition of career
intransitive verb
: to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner a car careered off the road
Examples of career in a Sentence
she careered off to the class she'd almost forgotten
Did You Know?
Chances are you're very familiar with the noun career meaning "a profession followed as a permanent occupation." What you may not know is that the word career got its start in the world of medieval tournaments. Jousting required knights to ride at full speed in short bursts, and 16th-century English speakers used the noun "career" (from Middle French carriere) to refer to such gallops as well as to the courses knights rode. By the mid-17th century, the verb had acquired its general "go fast" meaning, and by the 19th century the noun had developed the workaday use that is common today. (In case you're wondering, "career" is not related to "careen," which also means "to move at high speed"; "careen" has nautical origins, tracing to the Latin word for "hull.")
1647
First Known Use of career
1647
CAREER Defined for English Language Learners
career
playDefinition of career for English Language Learners
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: a job or profession that someone does for a long time
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: a period of time spent in a job or profession
CAREER Defined for Kids
career
playDefinition of career for Students
1 : a period of time spent in a job or profession She had a long career in medicine.
2 : a job followed as a life's work He made teaching his career.
Learn More about career
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See words that rhyme with career Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for career Spanish Central: Translation of career Nglish: Translation of career for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of career for Arabic speakers
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