career
[noun]
Synonyms:
- occupation, calling, employment, life's work, livelihood, pursuit, vocation
[verb]
Synonyms:
- rush, barrel (along) (informal, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), bolt, dash, hurtle, race, speed, tear

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English Thesaurus: job, work, profession, occupation, career, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. ca‧reer¹ S2 W2 /kəˈrɪə $ -ˈrɪr/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: carrière, from Old Provençal carriera 'street', from Latin carrus; ⇒ car]

1. a job or profession that you have been trained for, and which you do for a long period of your life
career in
a career in journalism
a teaching career
He realized that his acting career was over.
career development/advancement/progression etc
Career prospects within the company are excellent.
a physiotherapist who wanted to make a dramatic career change by becoming an author
Nurses want an improved career structure (=better opportunities to move upwards in their jobs).

2. career soldier/teacher etc someone who intends to be a soldier, teacher etc for most of their life, not just for a particular period of time:
a career diplomat

3. the period of time in your life that you spend doing a particular activity:
She had not had a very impressive school career up till then.
My career as an English teacher didn’t last long.
Beating the defending champion has to be the highlight of my career.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. career² verb [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]
British English to move forwards quickly without control, making sudden sideways movements Synonym : careen American English
career down/along/towards etc
The truck careered down the hill and into a tree.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

career
noun
I. series of jobs that a person has
ADJ. long | brief, short | brilliant, distinguished, glittering, good, great, successful He had a distinguished career as a diplomat.
promising | flagging He did a film for Hollywood to boost his flagging career.
chosen She achieved a lot in her chosen career.
academic, acting, diplomatic, literary, medical, military, musical, political, sporting, teaching | playing, professional, recording, stage the album that launched his recording career
VERB + CAREER build, carve out, have, make, pursue He made a good career for himself in football. She pursued a successful career in medicine.
begin, embark on, launch, start (out on) young actors just starting out on their careers
boost | abandon, give up | cut short, end, ruin, wreck a car crash which wrecked his career
resume | change
CAREER + VERB last sth, span sth Her stage career spans sixty years.
start, take off | be over, end
CAREER + NOUN careers advice/guidance/information, careers adviser/officer, careers service | break a career break to have children
advancement, development, ladder, path, progression a move higher up the career ladder
choice, move a smart career move
opportunities, prospects, structure The profession has no clear career structure.
civil servant, diplomat, soldier | girl, woman
PREP. during/throughout your ~ She won many awards during her acting career.
~ in a career in computers
~ with a brilliant career with the Royal Ballet
PHRASES the peak/height of your career She was at the peak of her playing career when she injured herself.
a change of career

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

career
II. period of your life spent working/doing sth
ADJ. chequered, colourful, turbulent, varied He has had a somewhat chequered career.
school, working She started her working career as a waitress.
VERB + CAREER have

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

career
verb
ADV. wildly A sudden gust caught her hat and sent it careering wildly down the road.
around children careering around the playground
PREP. down, into, off, through The lorry careered off the road and hit a tree.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

career

a successful career
David had had a successful career in banking.
a distinguished/brilliant career (=very successful)
She retired last year after a distinguished career as a barrister.
a glittering career (=very successful, especially in sport or acting)
Winning the gold medal was the highlight of her glittering career.
a promising career (=likely to be successful)
She gave up a promising career in advertising in order to look after her children.
a political/medical/military etc career
The scandal ruined his political career.
a teaching/acting/sporting career
Her acting career lasted for more than 50 years.
a professional career
You have to be outstanding to have a professional career in music.
sb’s chosen career
His parents encouraged him in his chosen career as a scientist.
have a career
All my sons had careers in education.
make a career
It isn’t easy to make a career in journalism.
pursue a career (=try to make a successful career)
She left teaching to pursue a career as a psychologist.
begin/start out on/start a career
Jacobson started his banking career in 1990.
launch/embark on a career (=start one)
Rita went to New York where she launched her dancing career.
build a career (=make it develop)
She built her literary career by writing about crime.
change career
People may change careers as many as seven times in their lives.
revive/resurrect your career (=make it successful again)
The singer is seeking to revive his pop career.
sb’s career takes off (=starts to be successful)
His career took off and he started making a lot of money.
career development/advancement/progression
A good job offers a programme of training and career development.
career opportunities
Students often know little about the career opportunities available to them.
career prospects (=opportunities to get a good job or a better position)
Good computer skills will improve your career prospects.
a career path (=a way of making a career)
There’s no fixed career path for becoming an actor.
a career structure (=a system for making progress in a career)
Teaching offers a clear career structure.
the career ladder (=the way to higher positions in a career)
Having children can disturb your progress up the career ladder.
a career change/move
After ten years in the job, I realized that I needed to make a career change.
a career woman (=one whose job is very important to her)
Career women tend to marry later.
careers advice/guidance
Most universities offer professional careers advice.
a careers officer (=someone who gives careers advice)
If you’re not sure what to do, why don’t you talk to a careers officer?
a career in journalism/politics/teaching etc
At the age of 15, he knew he wanted a career in politics.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

career
noun
1.
BAD: After ten years as a taxi driver, he decided it was time to change his career.
GOOD: After ten years as a taxi driver, he decided it was time to change his job/occupation.

Usage Note:
JOB · DO · OCCUPATION · POST/POSITION · CAREER · TRADE · PROFESSION
Job Your job is what you do to earn your living: ‘You’ll never get a job if you don’t have any qualifications.’ ‘She’d like to change her job but can’t find anything better.’ Your job is also the particular type of work that you do: ‘John’s new job sounds really interesting.’ ‘I know she works for the BBC but I’m not sure what job she does.’
A job may be full-time or part-time (NOT half-time or half-day ): ‘All she could get was a part-time job at a petrol station.’
Do (for a living) When you want to know about the type of work that someone does, the usual questions are What do you do? What does she do for a living? etc ‘What does your father do?’ - ‘He’s a police inspector.’
Occupation and job have similar meanings. However, occupation is far less common than job and is used mainly in formal and official styles: ‘Please give brief details of your employment history and present occupation.’ ‘People in manual occupations seem to suffer less from stress.’
Post/position The particular job that you have in a company or organization is your post or position : ‘She’s been appointed to the post of deputy principal.’ ‘He’s applied for the position of sales manager.’ Post and position are used mainly in formal styles and often refer to jobs which have a lot of responsibility.
Career Your career is your working life, or the series of jobs that you have during your working life: ‘The scandal brought his career in politics to a sudden end.’ ‘Later on in his career, he became first secretary at the British Embassy in Washington.’
Your career is also the particular kind of work for which you are trained and that you intend to do for a long time: ‘I wanted to find out more about careers in publishing.’
Trade A trade is a type of work in which you do or make things with your hands: ‘Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry or printing.’ ‘My grandfather was a bricklayer by trade.’
Profession A profession is a type of work such as medicine, teaching, or law which requires a high level of training or education: ‘Until recently, medicine has been a male-dominated profession.’ ‘She entered the teaching profession in 1987.’

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2.
BAD: I'd like to be a doctor or something related to that career.
GOOD: I'd like to be a doctor or something related to that profession.

Usage Note:
See Language Note above

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

job noun [countable] the regular paid work that you do for an employer:
a full-time job
John got a job in a car factory.
work noun [uncountable] activities that you are paid for doing – used either when you work for an employer or when you work in your own business:
I started work when I was 18.
He graduated from college last year and is still looking for work.
profession noun [countable] a job for which you need special education and training:
There are now a lot more women in the legal profession.
Many teachers are leaving the profession.
occupation noun [countable] formal a job, or a type of job – often used on official documents:
Please give your name, age, and occupation.
a traditionally male occupation
career noun [countable] the work you do or plan to do for most of your life:
I’m interested in a career in journalism.
position noun [countable] formal a particular job within an organization:
I am writing to apply for the position of technical assistant.
We regret that the position has already been filled.
Please state the position which you are applying for.
post noun [countable] formal a job, especially an important one in a large organization:
She has held the post of managing director for two years.
He applied for the post of Senior Manager.
vacancy/opening noun [countable] a job that is available for someone to do:
The hospital has been unable to fill the vacancy.
There are very few openings in scientific research.
appointment noun [countable] an important job which someone is asked to do:
He took an appointment as US trade ambassador in Geneva.
posting noun [countable] a situation in which someone is sent somewhere to do a job for a period of time by the organization they work for:
This was his first posting outside the UK.
an overseas posting
His next posting took him to the Ministry of Defence.
trade noun [countable] a job that involves using your hands, and for which you need special training:
Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry and printing.
employment noun [uncountable] the fact of having a job:
The factory will provide employment for local people.
She was offered employment in the sales office.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲