jobs
jobs — noun
- jobssingular
- jobsesplural
1. the set of duties and activities that someone does regularly in exchange for pay
the set of duties and activities that someone does regularly in exchange for payment from an employer or from running their own business.
Mei-Lin found a new job at a hospital after finishing her nursing course.
collocation: find a job
My brother left his job at the factory because the pay was too low.
Thousands of jobs were lost when the car plant closed down last year.
Yuki applied for three different jobs but only heard back from one company.
A good job gives you not just money but also a sense of purpose.
- position
more formal; often used for professional or office roles
- post
formal, especially in government or education
- occupation
the general category of work someone does, not a specific role
- unemployment
the state of having no paid work
用法筆記
Countable when referring to a specific position: 'three jobs offered'. Uncountable in phrases like 'out of work' or 'in work'.
常見錯誤
2. a situation in which a person has no paid work, especially when they are activel
a situation in which a person has no paid work, especially when they are actively looking for employment.
After the restaurant closed, Mr. Park was out of a job for nearly six months.
phrase: out of a job
The teacher told us that one in five young people in the area is without a job.
phrase: without a job
Amina has been between jobs since the summer, so she is taking some courses.
Losing his job meant the Patel family had to move to a smaller apartment.
- unemployed
the standard adjective form, used in official statistics
- out of work
the most common idiomatic phrase in everyday conversation
- jobless
direct but can sound abrupt; often used in news headlines
用法筆記
Typically used in phrases like 'out of a job' or 'between jobs'. The bare phrase 'without a job' is common in explanations but less idiomatic in casual speech than 'out of work'.
常見錯誤
3. a single piece of work that someone needs to do, often as part of a larger set o
a single piece of work that someone needs to do, often as part of a larger set of duties; also used with words like 'sort', 'kind', or 'type' to refer to a particular category of thing or activity.
The plumber finished the job of fixing the leaking pipes in two hours.
collocation: finish a job
Painting the whole fence was a bigger job than I had expected.
The team split the renovation into three separate jobs for different workers.
Each student was given the job of researching one country for the class project.
It took the whole morning to do the job of cleaning out the garage.
Building a website is the sort of job that requires both creativity and technical skill.
- task
focuses on the work itself; less personal than 'job'
- assignment
a task given by someone in authority
- project
a larger task that may take several steps or days
用法筆記
Often followed by 'of + -ing' or 'to + infinitive' to specify the task: 'the job of cleaning the kitchen'. The pattern 'sort/kind/type of job' can refer to a general category of work or activity rather than a specific task.
常見錯誤
4. something that a specific person is expected or required to do as their duty or
something that a specific person is expected or required to do as their duty or role.
It is the lifeguard's job to watch everyone swimming in the pool.
pattern: it is sb's job to
Making sure the bills are paid on time is my job, not yours.
The head nurse told the new staff that checking the supplies was their job.
When both parents work, deciding who does which household job can be tricky.
- duty
stronger moral or official obligation
- responsibility
slightly more formal than 'job' in this sense
- role
focuses on the expected function within a group
用法筆記
Nearly always used in the pattern 'it is/was someone's job to + infinitive'. Contrast with sense 1: this is about duty rather than paid employment.
常見錯誤
5. a situation or activity that is hard to deal with or requires a lot of effort to
a situation or activity that is hard to deal with or requires a lot of effort to complete.
I had a real job getting the children to bed before ten o'clock.
pattern: have a job doing something
You will have a job finding anyone who knows the answer to that question.
We had a job persuading Grandma to use the new washing machine.
It was quite a job carrying all the shopping bags up three flights of stairs.
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in the fixed expression 'have a job doing something' or 'have a job to do something'. This sense is mainly British and informal.
常見錯誤
❌ 'I had a job to find the book.' (meaning difficult) — This is correct but note the informal register. In formal writing, use 'struggled to find the book' instead.
6. an act of stealing, especially from a bank or other business, or any dishonest a
an act of stealing, especially from a bank or other business, or any dishonest activity carried out for personal gain.
The thieves spent three months planning the bank job before carrying it out.
collocation: bank job
The police believe it was an inside job because the alarm system was turned off.
collocation: inside job (crime committed by someone connected to the target)
The thief got two years in prison for that jewellery shop job he pulled last winter.
Detectives think the same gang is responsible for both the museum jobs.
用法筆記
This is slang, most common in crime fiction and news reports. 'Inside job' means the crime was committed or assisted by someone connected with the victim. 'Bank job' is a fixed expression for a bank robbery.
常見錯誤
❌ Using 'job' for 'crime' in formal writing — this sense is informal slang, not suitable for academic or professional contexts.
❌ 'He did a job at the supermarket.' — ambiguous without context. Add modifiers: 'He pulled a job at the supermarket' (crime) vs. 'He did a job at the supermarket' (regular work).