Mid 16th century, from French carrière (“road; racecourse”), from Italian carriera, from Old Occitan carreira, from Late Latin carrāria based on Latin carrus (“wheeled vehicle”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós, from *ḱers- (“to run”); alternatively, from Middle French carriere, from Old Occitan.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Doing something professionally, for a living (generally said of something that is not a commonplace job, e.g. criminal activity).
Studies on homeless income find that the typical “career panhandler” who dedicates his time overwhelmingly to begging can make between $600 and $1,500 a month. 2012, Arthur Gillard, Homelessness, page 38:
a career burglar
(broadly, not-comparable) Synonym of serial (“doing something regularly”).
Mid 16th century, from French carrière (“road; racecourse”), from Italian carriera, from Old Occitan carreira, from Late Latin carrāria based on Latin carrus (“wheeled vehicle”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós, from *ḱers- (“to run”); alternatively, from Middle French carriere, from Old Occitan.
Meanings
One’s calling in life; one's working occupation or profession, especially when pursued seriously or over a long period of time.
When they’ve tortured and scared you for twenty-odd years, / Then they expect you to pick a career 1971, “Working Class Hero”, in John Lennon (lyrics), John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band, performed by John Lennon:
The course, evolution, and ongoing advancement of one's working life, especially in one particular field.
He regretted focusing on his career to the exclusion of his family.
Devils Lake is where I began my career as a limnologist in 1964, studying the lake’s neotenic salamanders and chironomids, or midge flies. 2012 January 14, Douglas Larson, “Runaway Devils Lake”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 23 May 2012, page 46:
Washington’s career as a soldier
This scandal could ruin his career.
The general course of one's action or conduct in life, or in a particular area of life.
As I explored the possibility of a library science path, having previously been employed in libraries during my school career and afterwards, I decided that I needed to actually experience work in a library setting full time again […] 2002, Priscilla K. Shontz, Steven J. Oberg, Jump Start Your Career in Library and Information Science, page 21:
(archaic) Speed.
when a horse is running in his full career 1648, John Wilkins, Mathematicall Magick. Or, The Wonders that may be Performed by Mechanicall Geometry. […], London: […] M[iles] F[lesher] for Sa[muel] Gellibrand […], →OCLC:
It may be admitted that Democracy, in all meanings of the word, is in full career; irresistible by any Ritter Kauderwalsch or other Son of Adam, as times go. 1843 April, Thomas Carlyle, “chapter XIII, Democracy”, in Past and Present, American edition, Boston, Mass.: Charles C[offin] Little and James Brown, published 1843, →OCLC, book III (The Modern Worker):
What rein can hold licentious wickedness
When down the hill he holds his fierce career? c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Henry V, act 3, scene 3:
A jouster's path during a joust.
These knights, therefore, their aim being thus eluded, rushed from opposite sides betwixt the object of their attack and the Templar, almost running their horses against each other ere they could stop their career. 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:
(obsolete) A short gallop of a horse.
Such littleness damps the heat, and weakens the force of genius; as we check a horse in his career, and rein him in when we want him to amble 1756, William Guthrie (translator), Of Eloquence (originally by Quintillian)
It is said of Cæsar […] that in his youth being mounted upon a horse, and without any bridle, he made him run a full cariere [tr. carriere], make a sodaine stop, and with his hands behind his backe performe what ever can be expected of an excellent ready horse. 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 48, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
The flight of a hawk.
(obsolete) A racecourse; the ground run over.
to think of going back again the same career a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:
pt carreira (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ru карье́ра (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · de Karriere (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · gu કારકિર્દી (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · prs حِرْفَه (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · vi nghề nghiệp (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · uk кар'є́ра (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · da karriere (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · sv karriär (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ro carieră (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · pdt Beroop (nds) (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · fi ura (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · kk мансап (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ca carrera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · de Laufbahn (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ar مَسِيرَة (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · lv karjera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ms kerjaya (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ca carrera (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · id karier (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · cmn 生涯 (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · fa-ira کَسْب (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · de Karriere (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · fi ammatti (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · th การงาน (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · lt karjera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · uz kasb (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · eo kariero (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · prs کَسْب (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · sv karriär (horse career) · uz karyera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · tg касб (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · sv karriär (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · fr carrière (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ar مسار مهني (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · gl carreira (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ko 경력 (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · he קריירה (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · es oficio (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ur مَشْغَلَہ (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · he קַרְיֶרָה (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ru профе́ссия (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · az karyera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · hi जीवक (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · it carriera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · es carrera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ar مسار مهني (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · he קריירה (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · sq karierë (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · bg карие́ра (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · nn karriere (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ru по́прище (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · nl loopbaan (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · cmn 職業 /职业 (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · sl kariera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · es menester (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · et karjäär (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · be кар'е́ра (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · io kariero (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ja キャリア (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · tg ҳирфа (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · he קַרְיֶרָה (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ko 직업 (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · uk кар'є́р (horse career) · ja 経歴 (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ur کَرِیئَر (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ru призва́ние (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · bg карие́ра (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ka კარიერა (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · gl carreira (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ja キャリア (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · oc carrièra (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · fi työ (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · cmn 職業 /职业 (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · fa-ira حِرْفِه (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · is starfsferill (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · bg карие́р (a jouster's path during a joust) · pt carreira (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · tg мартаба (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · hi आजीविका (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · th อาชีพ (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ab акариера (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ru карье́ра (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · hu karrier (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · es trayectoria (profesional) (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · km អាជីព (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ms kerjaya (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · sco career (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ms karier (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ja 職業 (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · tr kariyer (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · bg по́прище (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · tl karera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · fr carrière (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ga réim (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · be кар'е́ра (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · cs kariéra (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · es carrera (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · hy կարիերա (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ja 経歴 (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · pl kariera (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · mk кариера (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · sh карије́ра (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · sh karijéra (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · uz martaba (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · lo ອາຊີບ (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · tr kariyer (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · pl kariera (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · km អាជីវ (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · az mənsəb (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ru карье́р (a jouster's path during a joust) · nb karriere (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · hy կարիերա (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · nb karriere (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ky мансап (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · ar مِهْنَة (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · nl carrière (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · nn karriere (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · el καριέρα (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · mi umanga (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · eo kariero (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · uk кар'є́ра (one's calling in life; a person's occupation) · fi työura (an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan) · ru карье́р (horse career) · sk kariéra (one's calling in life; a person's occupation)
Mid 16th century, from French carrière (“road; racecourse”), from Italian carriera, from Old Occitan carreira, from Late Latin carrāria based on Latin carrus (“wheeled vehicle”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós, from *ḱers- (“to run”); alternatively, from Middle French carriere, from Old Occitan.
Meanings
To move rapidly straight ahead, especially in an uncontrolled way.
The car careered down the road, missed the curve, and went through a hedge.
This secondary collision, head-on with a closing speed of 142mph, caused the DVT to veer off to the left. Many of the coaches behind it overturned and careered into an adjacent field. 2021 February 24, Greg Morse, “Great Heck: a tragic chain of events”, in RAIL, number 925, page 39:
However, the hosts hit back and hit back hard, first replacement hooker Andrew Hore sliding over, then Williams careering out of his own half and leaving several defenders for dead before flipping the ball to Nonu to finish off a scintillating move. 2011 September 16, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: New Zealand 83-7 Japan”, in BBC Sport:
He likens the story of his 20s to “a fully fuelled jumbo jet just reaching take-off point and having to slam on the brakes. You’ve got this enormous bloody thing careering off the end of the runway, through the fence, through the house next door, bursting into flames and me crawling out and scraping my wounds for 10 years. I won't be flying that one again.” 2003 October 16, Emma Brockes, quoting DBC Pierre, “How did I get here?”, in The Guardian: