career

IPA/kəˈrɪə(r)/
KK[kɚˈɪr]IPA/kəˈrɪr/

career — noun

  • careersingular
  • careersplural

1. all of the jobs you hold in one field of work, commonly becoming more responsibl

1.nounB1
Definition

all of the jobs you hold in one field of work, commonly becoming more responsible and skilled as time goes on — for example, a teacher's career might move from classroom teaching to running a school.

Example

Dr. Okonkwo started his career as a nurse at a small village clinic.

career + as + role — specific job title

A career in engineering often requires years of study and practice.

Common collocations
  • career in
  • career as
  • career path
  • career change
  • career move
  • career development
  • pursue a career
Synonyms
  • profession

    more formal; often implies a regulated, trained occupation like law or medicine

  • occupation

    neutral, more general; the basic answer to 'what do you do?'

  • vocation

    suggests a strong calling or sense of purpose beyond pay

Grammar Patterns

possessive + career

career + in + field

career + as + role

Common Mistakes

I have a career in a shop.
I have a job in a shop.
A 'career' suggests long-term professional growth; for simple paid work, use 'job' instead.

2. the entire period of a person's working life, from the first job to retirement —

2.nounB2
Definition

the entire period of a person's working life, from the first job to retirement — for example, when someone says their career spanned forty years, they mean all those working years combined.

Example

Throughout his career, Mr. Ogawa trained over three hundred young engineers.

throughout + possessive + career — time-span pattern

Injuries cut her dancing career short at the age of twenty-four.

Common collocations
  • during my career
  • career spanned
  • career ended
  • early career
  • late career
  • music career
  • military career
  • sports career
Synonyms
  • working life

    more literal and informal; simply means the years you spend working

  • professional life

    narrower — typically excludes casual or part-time jobs

Grammar Patterns

throughout + possessive + career

during + possessive + career

early/late + career

Usage Note

Often modified by a domain word (military career, acting career, political career) to specify which area of working life is being described.

3. the forward movement and increasing success in your professional life — for exam

3.nounB2
Definition

the forward movement and increasing success in your professional life — for example, getting promotions, taking on bigger projects, and gaining influence in your field.

Example

Young lawyers in the firm saw the merger as a chance to advance their careers.

advance + possessive + career — collocation for progress

Rashida turned down the transfer because it did not offer real career progress.

Common collocations
  • career progress
  • career advancement
  • career growth
  • career development
  • advance in your career
  • further your career
Synonyms
  • advancement

    more formal; focuses specifically on promotion and rising rank

  • progression

    neutral term for moving forward step by step; less about prestige than about sequence

Antonyms
  • stagnation

    the opposite of career progress — when nothing moves forward

Grammar Patterns

make + career + in

career + opportunity

advance + in + career

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (JOB PATH): sense 1 is about the sequence of jobs themselves; sense 3 is about upward movement and achievement within that sequence.

Common Mistakes

She has a good career' (meaning she earns well).
She has a successful career' or 'She is advancing in her career.
'Career' alone does not imply success; use an adjective to describe the quality.

career — adjective

career — verb

Word family

  • careerist
    nounC1
  • careerism
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Career, profession, occupation, and vocation all relate to a person's work, but they differ in focus and formality. Career (B1) is the broadest of the four — it refers to the full arc of jobs a person holds in one field over time, with the idea of growth or progression. Profession (B2) is more formal and describes a type of work that requires special training, qualifications, and often a licence, such as law, medicine, or accounting; it does not by itself imply a timeline. Occupation (B1) is the most neutral and generic — it simply means the kind of work someone does, whether skilled or unskilled, temporary or permanent. Vocation (C1) adds emotional weight: it suggests a strong inner calling to do the work, often in helping roles like teaching or nursing, where personal meaning matters more than pay. For example: 'Nursing is not just her occupation — it is her vocation.' 'He had a long career in journalism, moving from reporter to editor.' 'Medicine is a highly respected profession.'

career ↗profession ↗occupation ↗vocation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • throughout your career
  • at the start of your career
  • later in your career
  • pursue a career
  • embark on a career
  • build a career
  • launch a career

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'career' entered English in the 1500s from Middle French 'carrière', meaning a racecourse or road for carriages. That in turn came from Latin 'carraria' — a road for wheeled vehicles — from 'carrus', meaning a cart or wagon. The idea of a 'course for vehicles' shifted over time to mean a 'course of life or professional activity', first recorded in English in the early 1800s. The verb sense (to rush out of control) preserves the original racing image.