the general progression of your working or professional life
"the general had had a distinguished career"
"he had a long career in the law"
One's calling in life; a person's occupation; one's profession.
"After years of working at his family's farm, he finally decided to pursue a career as a landscape architect that he had always dreamed of."
In plain English: A career is the long-term path of jobs and work you do throughout your life.
"She decided to change her career after working in sales for ten years."
Usage: Use "career" to describe a long sequence of jobs in a particular field or a person's entire professional life from start to finish. Avoid using it for short-term gigs or specific single jobs, which are better described as occupations or positions.
move headlong at high speed
"The cars careered down the road"
"The mob careered through the streets"
To move rapidly straight ahead, especially in an uncontrolled way.
"The loose skateboard wheels began to career down the steep hill, spinning out of control and crashing into a mailbox."
In plain English: To career means to move very quickly and wildly, often without thinking about where you are going.
"He hopes to career through the ranks of the company until he reaches the top position."
Usage: Use "career" as a verb to describe something moving very fast in a straight line, often without control or direction. You might say the car careered off the road after the skid.
Synonym of serial (“doing something repeatedly or regularly as part of one's lifestyle or career”)
"After years of collecting rare stamps, he finally decided to turn his hobby into a full-time career by selling them online."
In plain English: There is no such thing as an adjective called career because it is only used to describe a job or path someone takes over many years.
"He is looking for career opportunities that match his skills."
Usage: Do not use the adjective form of career to mean "serial," as this is incorrect; instead, pair nouns like job, hobbyist, or collector with adjectives such as full-time, lifelong, or avid. The word career functions only as a noun in standard English.
The word "career" entered English in the mid-16th century from the French term for a road or racecourse. It ultimately traces its roots to Latin words meaning wheeled vehicle and running, reflecting its original sense of a path traveled by carriages before shifting to mean one's professional life.