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side gig

side gig

1 3.7
A small job done in free time to earn extra money
  • noun
  • /saɪd ɡɪɡ/
  • Informal
translation icon : trabajo secundario
  • In fact, I worked 35 hours a week while doing my bachelor's degree full time, and then, once I got my first full-time job, I kept a side gig on weekends for three years in order to build a strong personal finance base.

And so he's he's got a good, you know, side gig going on, you could say.

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Examples

  • It's also a good place to meet clients for your side gig.

  • Whatever your skills are, you can create a side gig to reduce your debt.

    Blog text (19)
  • Not bad for a side gig!

    Blog text (18)
  • For these individuals, a side gig simply isn't enough.

    Blog text (27)
  • So many of my friends wonder why I don't look into doing photography as a side gig.

    Blog text (4)
  • I started my company when I was 22 and worked it as a side gig until I went to freelancing full-time this year (age 25).

    Blog text (15)
  • I totally know the feeling of getting that extra side gig—you make some extra cash and then BAM, something happens (unforeseen half the time) and you're right back to square one financially, and you're still just "getting by."

    Blog text (30)
  • Many people start a side gig to earn extra money while maintaining their full-time jobs.

  • She has a side gig as a freelance graphic designer, which helps her save for a vacation.

  • After work, he spends a few hours on his side gig fixing computers for friends and family.

Synonyms

gig
vsside gig
255 3.7

A short paid job often done by a freelancer to earn money

is a longer or ongoing job taken alongside main employment for extra money
sideline
vsside gig
14 4.9

A job or business someone does to earn extra money

is focused on an additional paid income source rather than any activity
outside job
vsside gig
3.9

Work you do besides your main paid work to earn extra money

is a more general term for an extra source of income
sideline interest
vsside gig
4.0

A hobby or small job you do beside your main job

is used specifically for extra paid work rather than unpaid interests

Antonyms

1.0

Most important or central in a situation

324 2.6

For the whole normal working time for a job or course

How Primary

main
1.0
full-time
324 2.6
part-timer
8 3.0
side gig
  • Informal
1 3.7
hobby
297 1.0

Surface Forms

side gig singular
side gigs plural

Morphology

side + gig

The meaning 'a secondary job' is directly derivable from combining 'side' (meaning secondary or additional) with 'gig' (a paid job or freelance task). This compositional pattern (modifier + noun) is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Side gig comes from the words side and gig: side means something done beside your main work, and gig was the name for a short paid job musicians often took. That's why a side gig is a small job you do 'on the side' to earn extra money.