career
1 of 2noun
ca·reer kə-ˈrir 
1
: 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
2
: a field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement especially in public, professional, or business life
Washington's career as a soldier
3
a
: speed in a course —used especially in the phrases in full career or at full career
The trumpets sounded, and the knights charged each other in full career.
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott b
: course, passage
the sun's career across the sky
4
: encounter, charge
career
2 of 2verb
careered; careering; careers
intransitive verb
: to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner
a car careered off the road
Did you know?
In medieval tournaments, jousting required knights to ride at full speed in short bursts, and the noun career (coming from Middle French carriere) was used to refer to such gallops as well as to the courses that knights rode. The related verb came to mean "to go at top speed." The familiar career, referring to one's job, originated from these uses.
Did you know?
Careen and Career
Some people might be confused by the warning to not confuse careen and career, because the most common sense of career ("a profession") is not much like any of the meanings of careen. But when employed as a verb, career does have some semantic overlap with careen; both words may be used to mean "to go at top speed especially in a headlong manner." A car, for instance, may either careen or career. Some usage guides hold, however, that the car is only careening if there is side-to-side motion, as careen has other meanings related to movement, among which is "to sway from side to side."
Synonyms
Verb
- barrel
- belt
- blast
- blaze
- blow
- bolt
- bomb [slang]
- bowl
- breeze
- bundle
- bustle
- buzz
- cannonball
- careen
- chase
- course
- crack (on)
- dash
- drive
- fly
- hare
- hasten
- hie
- highball
- hotfoot (it)
- hump
- hurl
- hurry
- hurtle
- hustle
- jet
- jump
- motor
- nip
- pelt
- race
- ram
- rip
- rocket
- run
- rush
- rustle
- scoot
- scurry
- scuttle
- shoot
- speed
- step
- tear
- travel
- trot
- whirl
- whisk
- zip
- zoom
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun 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. Verb she careered off to the class she'd almost forgotten
Recent Examples on the Web Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022 See snapshots and memorabilia of his life and career and get a glimpse behind his songwriting process. Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2022 Lefthander Chris Murphy has allowed seven runs in three innings in each of his last two starts with Worcester, suggesting possible fatigue after a career-high 26 starts and 128⅓ innings. Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2022 Interview footage with Poitier himself, as well as his family, reminiscing about his life and career, gives the film an intimate feel. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2022 Richardson shined during his first start in the Swamp, finishing with a career-high 168 passing yards while rushing for 106 yards and 3 TDs. Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022 Single match career-high hitting percentage for Sarah Franklin vs. High Point. Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2022 Embiid is coming off a career-high year as the league's top scorer at 30.6 per game. Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 6 Sep. 2022 Quentin Youngblood ran for a career-high 138 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns in a 56-23 win against Ponitz CTC. Jonathan X. Simmons, cleveland, 6 Sep. 2022 Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 What are some elements of your life and career the theater production of TINA is able to amplify that your biographical film and even recent documentary didn’t? Brande Victorian, Essence, 22 Mar. 2022 Roach is still best known for his relationship with Zendaya, which goes back almost a decade and demonstrates how the red carpet can be used to career advantage. Chantal Fernandez, Harper's BAZAAR, 25 Mar. 2022 Lawson Crouse was on his way to career highs in goals and points in a season. José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 15 Mar. 2022 Childbirth and child rearing are the biggest ruptures to career trajectories, particularly among women, and Maven claims that employers who offer its service see a higher return-to-work rate and greater employee satisfaction. Emily Bobrow, WSJ, 4 Mar. 2022 And classrooms dedicated to career tech classes will be added at Hillcrest and Sipsey Valley High Schools. al, 4 Mar. 2022 Ski lifts run during the summer too, giving downhill mountain bikers the chance to career down narrow tracks at breakneck speed. Mary Novakovich, CNN, 11 Feb. 2022 One of Pritzker’s top aides deferred to career state employees when asked why a governor who promotes himself as a clean energy champion would allow a big new source of climate pollution to be built under his watch. Michael Hawthorne, chicagotribune.com, 28 Dec. 2021 See More
Noun
Learn more about his life and career by searching over 28 C-SPAN appearances. Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022 See snapshots and memorabilia of his life and career and get a glimpse behind his songwriting process. Hartford Courant, 8 Sep. 2022 Lefthander Chris Murphy has allowed seven runs in three innings in each of his last two starts with Worcester, suggesting possible fatigue after a career-high 26 starts and 128⅓ innings. Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2022 Interview footage with Poitier himself, as well as his family, reminiscing about his life and career, gives the film an intimate feel. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2022 Richardson shined during his first start in the Swamp, finishing with a career-high 168 passing yards while rushing for 106 yards and 3 TDs. Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022 Single match career-high hitting percentage for Sarah Franklin vs. High Point. Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2022 Embiid is coming off a career-high year as the league's top scorer at 30.6 per game. Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 6 Sep. 2022 Quentin Youngblood ran for a career-high 138 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns in a 56-23 win against Ponitz CTC. Jonathan X. Simmons, cleveland, 6 Sep. 2022 Verb
Soboroff came in third, and career civil servants returned to their perch at the top of city government for two more decades. Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2022 What are some elements of your life and career the theater production of TINA is able to amplify that your biographical film and even recent documentary didn’t? Brande Victorian, Essence, 22 Mar. 2022 Roach is still best known for his relationship with Zendaya, which goes back almost a decade and demonstrates how the red carpet can be used to career advantage. Chantal Fernandez, Harper's BAZAAR, 25 Mar. 2022 Lawson Crouse was on his way to career highs in goals and points in a season. José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 15 Mar. 2022 Childbirth and child rearing are the biggest ruptures to career trajectories, particularly among women, and Maven claims that employers who offer its service see a higher return-to-work rate and greater employee satisfaction. Emily Bobrow, WSJ, 4 Mar. 2022 And classrooms dedicated to career tech classes will be added at Hillcrest and Sipsey Valley High Schools. al, 4 Mar. 2022 Ski lifts run during the summer too, giving downhill mountain bikers the chance to career down narrow tracks at breakneck speed. Mary Novakovich, CNN, 11 Feb. 2022 One of Pritzker’s top aides deferred to career state employees when asked why a governor who promotes himself as a clean energy champion would allow a big new source of climate pollution to be built under his watch. Michael Hawthorne, chicagotribune.com, 28 Dec. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle French carriere, from Old Occitan carriera street, from Medieval Latin carraria road for vehicles, from Latin carrus car
First Known Use
Noun
circa 1534, in the meaning defined at sense 3a
Verb
1647, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing career
Kids Definition
career
noun
ca·reer kə-ˈrir
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.
career 1 of 2
noun
as in practice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- practice
- lifework
- livelihood
- living
- mission
- service
- task
- vocation
- pursuit
- practise
- gig
- posting
- duty
- engagement
- profession
- employment
- work
- office
- job
- racket
- trade
- occupation
- calling
- business
- position
- line
- situation
- spot
- function
- post
- appointment
- employ
- capacity
- place
- connection
- berth
- billet
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- avocation
- unemployment
- joblessness
career
2 of 2verb
as in to race
to proceed or move quickly she careered off to the class she'd almost forgotten Synonyms & Similar Words
- race
- travel
- speed
- rush
- hurry
- chase
- drive
- trot
- fly
- jump
- run
- buzz
- course
- zip
- step
- scurry
- blow
- hustle
- blast
- bowl
- motor
- rocket
- dart
- blaze
- belt
- dash
- scoot
- jet
- scuttle
- jog
- shoot
- hump
- ram
- cannonball
- rip
- tear
- hie
- barrel
- zoom
- whirl
- bolt
- bundle
- careen
- breeze
- hare
- streak
- highball
- hasten
- bustle
- gallop
- shake a leg
- nip
- bomb
- beat it
- hurl
- crack (on)
- hurtle
- pelt
- rustle
- get a move on
- make tracks
- hotfoot (it)
- whisk
- step on it
- sprint
- accelerate
- scuffle
- flit
- whiz
- stampede
- beetle
- step out
- scamper
- scud
- catch up
- overtake
- quicken
- arrow
- outrun
- whizz
- outstrip
- outpace
- fast-forward
- beeline
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- creep
- drag
- hang (around or out)
- crawl
- poke
- stroll
- lag
- linger
- dawdle
- shuffle
- poke
- lumber
- amble
- saunter
- dillydally
- tarry
- decelerate
- slow (down or up)
- plod
- loiter
- dally