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Synonyms

career

American  
[kuh-reer] / kəˈrɪər /

noun

  1. an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework.

    He sought a career as a lawyer.

  2. a person's progress or general course of action through life or through a phase of life, as in some profession or undertaking.

    His career as a soldier ended with the armistice.
    Synonyms:
    livelihood, lifework, work, calling, vocation

  3. success in a profession, occupation, etc.

  4. a course, especially a swift one.

  5. speed, especially full speed.

    The horse stumbled in full career.

  6. Archaic. a charge at full speed.

verb (used without object)

  1. to run or move rapidly along; go at full speed.

adjective

  1. having or following a career; professional.

    a career diplomat.
career British  
/ kəˈrɪə /

noun

  1. a path or progress through life or history

  2. a profession or occupation chosen as one's life's work

  3. (modifier) having or following a career as specified

    a career diplomat

  4. a course or path, esp a swift or headlong one

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to move swiftly along; rush in an uncontrolled way

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
career Idioms  

  1. see checkered career.

Etymology

Origin of career

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French carriere, from Old Provençal carriera, literally, “road,” from Late Latin carrāria (via) “vehicular (road),” equivalent to Latin carr(us) “wagon” ( car 1 ) + -āria (feminine of -ārius -ary )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While Chisora has exceeded all expectations during his 19-year career, the punishment he has absorbed across 346 rounds is difficult to ignore.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Not everybody has the resilience—or luck—to survive like Lily Dillon, the career criminal in “The Grifters” and one of Thompson’s fiercest characters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

After 2005, Jones again focused on her theater career.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

He’s been deployed multiple times over a long career, including in Afghanistan.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

During his entire career as a naturalist, only one animal had ever unexpectedly attacked Cherrie: a tamandua, or lesser anteater.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.