Ask Difference

Work vs. Job — What's the Difference?

By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on September 3, 2023
Work refers to a task or tasks being done, while a job is a paid position of regular employment.
Work vs. Job — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Work and Job

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Key Differences

Work implies any activity, whether mental or physical, that results in production or accomplishment. The word can pertain to anything from daily chores to specialized tasks. On the other hand, a job is a specific task or duty someone is employed for and typically refers to a position one holds where they receive payment. For instance, writing is work, while being a writer for a magazine is a job.
Work can be both paid and unpaid. For example, volunteer work does not offer monetary compensation, but it's still an activity that requires effort. In contrast, a job, by its common definition, is associated with a monetary reward. While you can volunteer to teach, being a teacher in a school usually implies having a job with a paycheck.
Work is an all-encompassing term that denotes action, effort, or labor. It doesn't necessarily relate to any profession or monetary aspect. Job, conversely, is directly tied to professions or occupations, often with specific roles and responsibilities. Painting a picture is work; being a professional artist by trade is a job.
Work can be spontaneous or planned, based on the circumstances. For instance, helping a friend move furniture is work, but it's not a designated job. A job, however, usually involves set responsibilities and hours. Lifting boxes in a warehouse from 9 to 5 is a job.

Comparison Chart

Nature

Broad term denoting activity or effort.
Specific position of employment in an organization or trade.
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Compensation

Can be both paid or unpaid.
Typically implies a monetary compensation.

Duration

Can be short-term or long-term.
Often long-term and regular.

Commitment

Can be spontaneous or planned.
Usually involves set responsibilities and hours.

Association

Not necessarily tied to a specific profession or monetary aspect.
Directly associated with a profession or occupation with defined roles.

Compare with Definitions

Work

Work refers to the exertion of effort to produce or accomplish something.
The construction crew began their work early in the morning.

Job

Job refers to a specific task or duty.
The plumber's job was to fix the leaking tap.

Work

Work can mean a place where industrial labor is performed.
She arrives at her work by 9 a.m. every day.

Job

Job denotes a paid position of regular employment.
She has a job at a tech company downtown.

Work

To undergo small motions that result in friction and wear
The gears work against each other.

Job

A book in the Old Testament containing Job's pleas to God about his afflictions and God's reply

Work

Work can refer to a piece of art, music, or literature.
That painting is one of Picasso's lesser-known works.

Job

Arranged for contracted work to be done by others

Work

The part of a day devoted to an occupation or undertaking
Met her after work.

Job

Job can refer to a particular piece of work done as part of one’s duties.
The repair was a quick job and took less than an hour.

Work

To function; operate
How does this latch work?.

Job

Job can be a criminal act, especially a robbery.
The detective was on the trail of a bank job.

Work

(transitive) To use or manipulate to one’s advantage.
She knows how to work the system.

Job

(intransitive) To seek private gain under pretence of public service; to turn public matters to private advantage.

Work

Have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected;
The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought
How does your idea work in practice?
This method doesn't work
The breaks of my new car act quickly
The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water

Job

A situation or opportunity of work; as, he lost his job.

Work

Shape, form, or improve a material;
Work stone into tools
Process iron
Work the metal

Job

A task, or the execution of a task; as, Michelangelo did a great job on the David statue.

Work

Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence;
I cannot work a miracle
Wreak havoc
Bring comments
Play a joke
The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area

Job

A task or coordinated set of tasks for a multitasking computer, submitted for processing as a single unit, usually for execution in background. See job control language.

Work

Cause to work;
He is working his servants hard

Job

To hire or let by the job or for a period of service; as, to job a carriage.

Work

To be employed; have a job.

Job

A specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee;
Estimates of the city's loss on that job ranged as high as a million dollars
The job of repairing the engine took several hours
The endless task of classifying the samples
The farmer's morning chores

Work

To function or operate in the desired or required way
The telephone hasn't worked since the thunderstorm.

Job

A workplace; as in the expression
On the job

Work

To have the desired effect or outcome; prove successful
This recipe seems to work.

Job

Job can mean a responsibility or duty.
It's the president's job to lead the country.

Work

To exert an influence. Used with on or upon
Worked on her to join the group.

Job

A job, employment, work or occupation, is a person's role in society. More specifically, a job is an activity, often regular and often performed in exchange for payment ("for a living").

Work

To proceed or progress slowly and laboriously
Worked through the underbrush.
Worked through my problems in therapy.

Job

A regular activity performed in exchange for payment, especially as one's trade, occupation, or profession
Her job is doing drug research.

Work

To ferment.

Job

A position of employment
How many jobs are open at the factory?.

Work

To solve (a problem) by calculation and reasoning.

Job

A task that must be done
Let's finish this job before we start another.

Work

To make, achieve, or pay for by work or effort
Worked her way to the top.
Worked his passage on the ship.

Job

A specified duty or responsibility
Your job is to watch the kids while we're away.

Work

To use or manipulate to one's own advantage; exploit
Learned how to work the system.
Worked his relatives for sympathy.

Job

(Informal) A difficult or strenuous task
It's a real job getting people to help out at these events.

Work

(transitive) To shape, form, or improve a material.
He used pliers to work the wire into shape.

Job

A specific piece of work to be done for a set fee
An expensive repair job.

Work

(transitive) To operate in a certain place, area, or speciality.
She works the night clubs
The salesman works the Midwest

Job

(Computers) A program application that may consist of several steps but is performed as a single logical unit.

Work

Perform as expected when applied;
The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in
Does this old car still run well?
This old radio doesn't work anymore

Job

(Informal) A state of affairs
Their marriage was a bad job from the start. It's a good job that we left early to avoid the traffic.

Work

Operate in a certain place, area, or specialty;
She works the night clubs
The salesman works the Midwest
This artist works mostly in acrylics

Job

(Informal) A criminal act, especially a robbery
A bank job.

Work

Arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion;
The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times

Job

A jab.

Work

Physical or mental effort or activity directed toward the production or accomplishment of something
Cleaning the basement was a lot of work.

Job

See Table at Bible.

Work

Such effort or activity by which one makes a living; employment
Looking for work.

Job

To work at odd jobs.

Work

A trade, profession, or other means of livelihood
His work is fixing cars.

Job

To work by the piece.

Work

One's place of employment
Should I call you at home or at work?.

Job

To purchase (merchandise) from manufacturers and sell it to retailers.

Work

Something that one is doing, making, or performing, especially as an occupation or undertaking; a duty or task
Begin the day's work.

Job

To transact (official business) dishonestly for private profit.

Work

An amount of such activity either done or required
A week's work.

Job

To jab or make a jab.

Work

The action or effect of an agency
The antibiotic seems to be doing its work.

Job

A task.
I've got a job for you - could you wash the dishes?

Work

Something that has been produced or accomplished through the effort, activity, or agency of a person or thing
This scheme was the work of a criminal mastermind. Erosion is the work of wind, water, and time.

Job

An economic role for which a person is paid.
That surgeon has a great job.
He's been out of a job since being made redundant in January.

Work

An act; a deed
"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun.
And, behold, all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:14).

Job

(in noun compounds) Plastic surgery.
He had had a nose job.

Work

An artistic creation, such as a painting, sculpture, or literary or musical composition, or a creative result of other human activity
An early work of Matisse.
A scholarly work of great importance.

Job

(in noun compounds) A sex act.
Hand job

Work

Works The output of a writer, artist, or composer considered or collected as a whole
The works of Bach.

Job

(computing) A task, or series of tasks, carried out in batch mode (especially on a mainframe computer).

Work

Works Engineering structures, such as bridges or dams.

Job

A sudden thrust or stab; a jab.

Work

A fortified structure, such as a trench or fortress.

Job

A public transaction done for private profit; something performed ostensibly as a part of official duty, but really for private gain; a corrupt official business.

Work

Needlework, weaving, lacemaking, or a similar textile art.

Job

Any affair or event which affects one, whether fortunately or unfortunately.

Work

A piece of such textile art.

Job

(colloquial) A thing (often used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall).
Pass me that little job with the screw thread on it.

Work

A material or piece of material being processed in a machine during manufacture
Work to be turned in the lathe.

Job

The police as a profession, act of policing, or an individual police officer.

Work

Works (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A factory, plant, or similar building or complex of buildings where a specific type of business or industry is carried on. Often used in combination
A steelworks.

Job

(intransitive) To do odd jobs or occasional work for hire.

Work

Works Internal mechanism
The works of a watch.

Job

To strike or stab with a pointed instrument.

Work

The manner, style, or quality of working or treatment; workmanship.

Job

To thrust in, as a pointed instrument.

Work

Works Moral or righteous acts or deeds
Salvation by faith rather than works.

Job

To hire or let in periods of service.
To job a carriage

Work

(Slang) A thorough beating or other severe treatment. Used with the
Took him outside and gave him the works.

Job

A sudden thrust or stab; a jab.

Work

Of, relating to, designed for, or engaged in work.

Job

A piece of chance or occasional work; any definite work undertaken in gross for a fixed price; as, he did the job for a thousand dollars.

Work

To exert oneself physically or mentally in order to do, make, or accomplish something.

Job

A public transaction done for private profit; something performed ostensibly as a part of official duty, but really for private gain; a corrupt official business.

Work

To have a given effect or outcome
Our friendship works best when we speak our minds.

Job

Any affair or event which affects one, whether fortunately or unfortunately.

Work

To arrive at a specified condition through gradual or repeated movement
The stitches worked loose.

Job

The hero of the book of that name in the Old Testament; the prototypical patient man.

Work

To move in an agitated manner, as with emotion
Her mouth worked with fear.

Job

To strike or stab with a pointed instrument.

Work

To strain in heavy seas so that the joints give slightly and the fastenings become slack. Used of a boat or ship.

Job

To thrust in, as a pointed instrument.

Work

To sail against the wind.

Job

To do or cause to be done by separate portions or lots; to sublet (work); as, to job a contract.

Work

To cause or effect; bring about
Working miracles.

Job

To buy and sell, as a broker; to purchase of importers or manufacturers for the purpose of selling to retailers; as, to job goods.

Work

To shape or forge
"Each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor" (Edgar Allan Poe).

Job

To do chance work for hire; to work by the piece; to do petty work.
Authors of all work, to job for the season.

Work

To make or decorate by needlework
Work a sampler.

Job

To seek private gain under pretense of public service; to turn public matters to private advantage.
And judges job, and bishops bite the town.

Work

To knead, stir, or otherwise manipulate in preparation
Work the dough before shaping it.

Job

To carry on the business of a jobber in merchandise or stocks.

Work

To bring to a specified condition by gradual or repeated effort or work
Finally worked the window open.
Worked the slaves to death.

Job

The principal activity in your life that you do to earn money;
He's not in my line of business

Work

(Informal) To arrange or contrive. Often used with it
Worked it so that her weekends are free.

Job

The performance of a piece of work;
She did an outstanding job as Ophelia
He gave it up as a bad job

Work

To make productive; cultivate
Work a farm.

Job

The responsibility to do something;
It is their job to print the truth

Work

To cause to work
Works his laborers hard.

Job

An object worked on; a result produced by working;
He held the job in his left hand and worked on it with his right

Work

To excite or provoke
Worked the mob into a frenzy.

Job

A state of difficulty that needs to be resolved;
She and her husband are having problems
It is always a job to contact him
Urban problems such as traffic congestion and smog

Work

To gratify, cajole, or enchant artfully, especially for the purpose of influencing
The politician worked the crowd. The comedian worked the room with flawless rhythm.

Job

A damaging piece of work;
Dry rot did the job of destroying the barn
The barber did a real job on my hair

Work

To carry on an operation or function in or through
The agent who works that area.
Working the phones for donations.

Job

A crime (especially a robbery);
The gang pulled off a bank job in St. Louis

Work

To ferment (liquor, for example).

Job

A Jewish hero in the Old Testament who maintained his faith in God in spite of afflictions that tested him

Work

Employment.

Job

Any long-suffering person who withstands affliction without despairing

Work

Labour, occupation, job.
My work involves a lot of travel.

Job

(computer science) a program application that may consist of several steps but is a single logical unit

Work

Something on which effort is expended.
There's lots of work waiting for me at the office.

Job

Profit privately from public office and official business

Work

(physics) A measure of energy expended in moving an object; most commonly, force times distance. No work is done if the object does not move.
Work is done against friction to drag a bag along the ground.

Job

Work occasionally;
As a student I jobbed during the semester breaks

Work

A measure of energy that is usefully extracted from a process.

Job

Invest at a risk;
I bought this house not because I want to live in it but to sell it later at a good price, so I am speculating

Work

(heading) Product; the result of effort.

Job

The object to be worked on
Those overgrown shrubs are a big job.

Work

The result of a particular manner of production.
There's a lot of guesswork involved.

Job

Something resulting from or produced by work
I like the job they did on those shrubs.

Work

Something produced using the specified material or tool.
We've got some paperwork to do before we can get started. The piece was decorated with intricate filigree work.

Job

An operation done to improve one's appearance, or the result of such an operation. Often used in combination
A face job.

Work

(countable) A literary, artistic, or intellectual production.
It is a work of art.
The poetic works of Alexander Pope

Job

(Informal) An example of a specified type, especially of something made or constructed. Often used in combination
A new building that is just another glass and steel job.
A cowboy hat that is one of those ten-gallon jobs.

Work

(countable) A fortification.
William the Conqueror fortified many castles, throwing up new ramparts, bastions and all manner of works.

Job

To act as a jobber.

Work

The staging of events to appear as real.

Job

To arrange for (contracted work) to be done in portions by others; subcontract.

Work

(mining) Ore before it is dressed.

Job

(intransitive) To work as a jobber.

Work

The equipment needed to inject a drug (syringes, needles, swabs etc.)
Tell me you're using clean works at least.

Job

To take the loss.

Work

(intransitive) To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers.
He’s working in a bar.

Job

To buy and sell for profit, as securities; to speculate in.

Work

Followed by in (or at, etc.) Said of one's workplace (building), or one's department, or one's trade (sphere of business).
I work in a national park
She works in the human resources department
He mostly works in logging, but sometimes works in carpentry

Job

To subcontract a project or delivery in small portions to a number of contractors.
We wanted to sell a turnkey plant, but they jobbed out the contract to small firms.

Work

Followed by as. Said of one's job title
I work as a cleaner.

Work

Followed by for. Said of a company or individual who employs.
She works for Microsoft
He works for the president

Work

Followed by with. General use, said of either fellow employees or instruments or clients.
I work closely with my Canadian counterparts
You work with computers
She works with the homeless people from the suburbs

Work

(intransitive) To effect by gradual degrees;
To work into the earth

Work

(transitive) To effect by gradual degrees.
He worked his way through the crowd
The dye worked its way through
Using some tweezers, she worked the bee sting out of her hand

Work

(transitive) To embroider with thread.

Work

(transitive) To cause to ferment.

Work

(intransitive) To ferment.

Work

(transitive) To exhaust, by working.
The mine was worked until the last scrap of ore had been extracted.

Work

(transitive) To operate in or through; as, to work the phones.

Work

(transitive) To provoke or excite; to influence.
The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy.

Work

To cause to happen or to occur as a consequence.
I cannot work a miracle.

Work

(transitive) To cause to work.
He is working his servants hard.

Work

(intransitive) To function correctly; to act as intended; to achieve the goal designed for.
He pointed at the car and asked, "Does it work"?;
He looked at the bottle of pain pills, wondering if they would work;
My plan didn’t work

Work

To influence.
They worked on her to join the group.

Work

(intransitive) To move in an agitated manner.
His fingers worked with tension.
A ship works in a heavy sea.

Work

(intransitive) To behave in a certain way when handled
This dough does not work easily;
The soft metal works well

Work

Exertion of strength or faculties; physical or intellectual effort directed to an end; industrial activity; toil; employment; sometimes, specifically, physical labor.
Man hath his daily work of body or mindAppointed.

Work

The matter on which one is at work; that upon which one spends labor; material for working upon; subject of exertion; the thing occupying one; business; duty; as, to take up one's work; to drop one's work.
Come on, Nerissa; I have work in handThat you yet know not of.
In every work that he began . . . he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

Work

That which is produced as the result of labor; anything accomplished by exertion or toil; product; performance; fabric; manufacture; in a more general sense, act, deed, service, effect, result, achievement, feat.
To leave no rubs or blotches in the work.
The work some praise,And some the architect.
Fancy . . . Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams.
The composition or dissolution of mixed bodies . . . is the chief work of elements.

Work

To carry on business; to be engaged or employed customarily; to perform the part of a laborer; to labor; to toil.
They that work in fine flax . . . shall be confounded.

Work

To be in a state of severe exertion, or as if in such a state; to be tossed or agitated; to move heavily; to strain; to labor; as, a ship works in a heavy sea.
Confused with working sands and rolling waves.

Work

Exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity;
I will work hard to improve my grades
She worked hard for better living conditions for the poor

Work

Be employed;
Is your husband working again?
My wife never worked
Do you want to work after the age of 60?
She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money
She works as a waitress to put herself through college

Work

Give a work-out to;
Some parents exercise their infants
My personal trainer works me hard
Work one's muscles

Work

Proceed along a path;
Work one's way through the crowd
Make one's way into the forest

Work

Proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity;
Work your way through every problem or task
She was working on her second martini when the guests arrived
Start from the bottom and work towards the top

Work

Move in an agitated manner;
His fingers worked with tension

Work

Prepare for crops;
Work the soil
Cultivate the land

Work

Behave in a certain way when handled;
This dough does not work easily
The soft metal works well

Work

Have and exert influence or effect;
The artist's work influenced the young painter
She worked on her friends to support the political candidate

Work

Operate in or through;
Work the phones

Work

Cause to operate or function;
This pilot works the controls
Can you work an electric drill?

Work

Provoke or excite;
The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy

Work

Gratify and charm, usually in order to influence;
The political candidate worked the crowds

Work

Make something, usually for a specific function;
She molded the riceballs carefully
Form cylinders from the dough
Shape a figure
Work the metal into a sword

Work

Move into or onto;
Work the raisins into the dough
The student worked a few jokes into his presentation
Work the body onto the flatbed truck

Work

Make uniform;
Knead dough
Work the clay until it is soft

Work

Use or manipulate to one's advantage;
He exploit the new taxation system
She knows how to work the system
He works his parents for sympathy

Work

Find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of;
Did you solve the problem?
Work out your problems with the boss
This unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out
Did you get it?
Did you get my meaning?
He could not work the math problem

Work

Cause to undergo fermentation;
We ferment the grapes for a very long time to achieve high alcohol content
The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats

Work

Go sour or spoil;
The milk has soured
The wine worked
The cream has turned--we have to throw it out

Work

Work can mean the result of an action or effort.
The scientist's work led to many breakthroughs.

Work

Work can be an operation or process in mathematics or physics.
Students need to show their work when solving math problems.

Work

Abbr. w(Physics) The transfer of energy from one physical system to another, especially the application of a force to move a body in a certain direction. It is calculated as the product of the force and the distance over which it is applied and is expressed in joules, ergs, and foot-pounds.

Work

(Informal) The full range of possibilities; everything. Used with the
Ordered a pizza with the works.

Work

To behave in a specified way when handled or processed
Not all metals work easily.

Work

To cause to operate or function; actuate, use, or manage
Worked the controls.
Can work a lathe.

Work

The place where one is employed.
He hasn’t come home yet; he’s still at work.

Work

(by extension) One's employer.
I want to go to the reunion concert, but I'm not sure if my work will give me the time off.

Work

(dated) A factory; a works.

Work

Effort.

Work

Effort expended on a particular task.
Holding a brick over your head is hard work. It takes a lot of work to write a dictionary.

Work

Sustained human effort to overcome obstacles and achieve a result.
We know what we must do. Let's go to work.
We don't have much time. Let's get to work piling up those sandbags.

Work

(transitive) To set into action.
He worked the levers.

Work

To cause (someone) to feel (something); to do unto somebody (something, whether good or bad).

Work

To hurt; to ache.

Work

To pull off; to wear, perform, etc. successfully or to advantage.
I would never have thought those pieces would go together, but she is working it like nobody's business.

Work

Specifically: (a) That which is produced by mental labor; a composition; a book; as, a work, or the works, of Addison. (b) Flowers, figures, or the like, wrought with the needle; embroidery.
I am glad I have found this napkin; . . . I'll have the work ta'en out,And give 't Iago.

Work

Structures in civil, military, or naval engineering, as docks, bridges, embankments, trenches, fortifications, and the like; also, the structures and grounds of a manufacturing establishment; as, iron works; locomotive works; gas works.

Work

Manner of working; management; treatment; as, unskillful work spoiled the effect.

Work

The causing of motion against a resisting force. The amount of work is proportioned to, and is measured by, the product of the force into the amount of motion along the direction of the force. See Conservation of energy, under Conservation, Unit of work, under Unit, also Foot pound, Horse power, Poundal, and Erg.
Energy is the capacity of doing work . . . Work is the transference of energy from one system to another.

Work

Ore before it is dressed.

Work

Performance of moral duties; righteous conduct.
He shall reward every man according to his works.
Faith, if it hath not works, is dead.

Work

Break; twist.

Work

The causing of motion against a resisting force, measured by the product of the force into the component of the motion resolved along the direction of the force.
Energy is the capacity of doing work. . . . Work is the transference of energy from one system to another.

Work

Ore before it is dressed.

Work

To exert one's self for a purpose; to put forth effort for the attainment of an object; to labor; to be engaged in the performance of a task, a duty, or the like.
O thou good Kent, how shall I live and work,To match thy goodness?
Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you.
Whether we work or play, or sleep or wake,Our life doth pass.

Work

Hence, in a general sense, to operate; to act; to perform; as, a machine works well.
We bend to that the working of the heart.

Work

Hence, figuratively, to be effective; to have effect or influence; to conduce.
We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.
This so wrought upon the child, that afterwards he desired to be taught.
She marveled how she could ever have been wrought upon to marry him.

Work

To make one's way slowly and with difficulty; to move or penetrate laboriously; to proceed with effort; - with a following preposition, as down, out, into, up, through, and the like; as, scheme works out by degrees; to work into the earth.
Till body up to spirit work, in boundsProportioned to each kind.

Work

To ferment, as a liquid.
The working of beer when the barm is put in.

Work

To act or operate on the stomach and bowels, as a cathartic.
Purges . . . work best, that is, cause the blood so to do, . . . in warm weather or in a warm room.

Work

To labor or operate upon; to give exertion and effort to; to prepare for use, or to utilize, by labor.
He could have told them of two or three gold mines, and a silver mine, and given the reason why they forbare to work them at that time.

Work

To produce or form by labor; to bring forth by exertion or toil; to accomplish; to originate; to effect; as, to work wood or iron into a form desired, or into a utensil; to work cotton or wool into cloth.
Each herb he knew, that works or good or ill.

Work

To produce by slow degrees, or as if laboriously; to bring gradually into any state by action or motion.
So the pure, limpid stream, when foul with stainsOf rushing torrents and descending rains,Works itself clear, and as it runs, refines,Till by degrees the floating mirror shines.

Work

To influence by acting upon; to prevail upon; to manage; to lead.

Work

To form with a needle and thread or yarn; especially, to embroider; as, to work muslin.

Work

To set in motion or action; to direct the action of; to keep at work; to govern; to manage; as, to work a machine.
Knowledge in building and working ships.
Now, Marcus, thy virtue's the proof;Put forth thy utmost strength, work every nerve.
The mariners all 'gan work the ropes,Where they were wont to do.

Work

To cause to ferment, as liquor.
Tears of joy for your returning spilt,Work out and expiate our former guilt.
The sun, that rolls his chariot o'er their heads,Works up more fire and color in their cheeks.

Work

Activity directed toward making or doing something;
She checked several points needing further work

Work

A product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing;
It is not regarded as one of his more memorable works
The symphony was hailed as an ingenious work
He was indebted to the pioneering work of John Dewey
The work of an active imagination
Erosion is the work of wind or water over time

Work

The occupation for which you are paid;
He is looking for employment
A lot of people are out of work

Work

Applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading);
Mastering a second language requires a lot of work
No schools offer graduate study in interior design

Work

The total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it);
He studied the entire Wagnerian oeuvre
Picasso's work can be divided into periods

Work

A place where work is done;
He arrived at work early today

Work

(physics) a manifestation of energy; the transfer of energy from one physical system to another expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which it moves a body in the direction of that force;
Work equals force times distance

Common Curiosities

What does the term work generally imply?

Work implies a task or tasks being done, whether mental or physical, resulting in production or accomplishment.

How is a job typically defined in terms of employment?

A job is a paid position of regular employment with specific roles and responsibilities.

Can work be unpaid?

Yes, work can be both paid and unpaid, such as volunteer work.

Is work always related to a specific profession?

No, work is an all-encompassing term that denotes action, effort, or labor and doesn't necessarily relate to any profession.

Does a job always involve getting paid?

A job, by its common definition, is associated with a monetary reward or compensation.

Can work be spontaneous?

Yes, work can be spontaneous or planned, based on circumstances.

Is a criminal act ever referred to as a job?

Yes, in some contexts, a criminal act, especially a robbery, can be called a job.

How does the term job relate to professions or occupations?

Job is directly tied to professions or occupations, often with specific roles and responsibilities.

Can a piece of music be referred to as work?

Yes, in certain contexts, a piece of art, music, or literature can be referred to as a work.

Are jobs typically long-term or short-term?

Jobs often imply long-term and regular positions of employment.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.

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