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occupation

occupation

118 2.7
A job or profession that a person does to earn money
  • noun
  • /ˌɑkjəˈpeɪʃən/
translation icon : profesión
  • Please state your name, address and current occupation.
  • occupation or job
  • occupation or profession
  • choice of occupation

There could be benchmarks set for different occupations or wages.

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Examples

Synonyms

job
vsoccupation
1.0

Work that you do regularly to earn money

refers to a person's main paid activity rather than a single position
career
vsoccupation
1.8

The jobs a person does during their working life

focuses on the person's main activity at a particular time rather than life span
business
vsoccupation
696 1.3

The work a person does to earn money

is the general word for the person's main way of earning money
profession
vsoccupation
229 3.0

A job that needs special training or education, like a doctor

is the general term not limited by training or qualification needs
trade
vsoccupation
142 3.0

A skilled job that needs hands-on training, for example carpentry

is broader and not restricted to manual or craft skills
line of work
vsoccupation
110 3.1

A type of job someone does to earn money

is the broad term for a person's main paid activity

Antonyms

673 2.3

A time when people do not have paid jobs and look for work

Compounds

Israeli military forces controlling land claimed by others

6.7

Official permission to work in a particular job

A phrase used to describe the Israeli government that controls Palestinian areas, often used as an insult

How Professional

profession
229 3.0
career
1.8
occupation
118 2.7
business
696 1.3
job
1.0
odd-job
  • UK
25 4.2

Surface Forms

occupation singular
occupations plural

Morphology

occupation = occupy (semi-transparent) = occupy + ation

Formed from 'occupy' + '-ation', but the 'job' sense is a metaphorical extension ('that which occupies one's time') rather than a direct, literal nominalization.

Etymology

Occupation comes from the old Latin verb occupare, which means 'to take' or 'to hold', and it is the same root as the common word occupy. Think of a job as something that 'takes up' your time and place in life, so occupation became the usual word for someone's work.