What does jobbed mean?
Jobbed is the past tense and past participle of job, so it means “worked at a job” or “held employment.” Its most natural use is in a past or perfect construction: “She had jobbed in retail before moving into design.” In the simple past, “The company jobbed 30 temporary staff” is grammatical, although “employed” or “hired” often sounds more natural in formal contexts. Jobbed can also function as a participial adjective meaning “employed” or “having a job,” though this use is uncommon outside predicative constructions such as “He was jobbed.” The word is standard in both British and American English, and its pronunciation reflects the usual regional variation in the vowel of job: /dʒɒbd/ in British English and /dʒɑːbd/ in American English. Because jobbed is an inflected form rather than a separate lexical item, dictionaries commonly list it under job. Its brevity makes it useful in precise writing, but ordinary alternatives such as worked, employed, and hired will usually be clearer when a particular employment relationship is meant.
The simple past tense and past participle of job: to work at a job or hold employment.
"He jobbed at a local newspaper for two years before enrolling in college."
The form is especially common in constructions such as “had jobbed,” where it indicates employment before another time or event.
Employed; having a job.
"After the factory reopened, hundreds of local residents were jobbed again."
This participial use is uncommon and is chiefly encountered in predicative constructions.
Jobbed is the past tense of job, but it can also serve as an adjective meaning employed or having a job.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does jobbed come from?
Jobbed is formed from the Middle English word jobbe, originally referring to a piece of work and later extended to a position, occupation, or employment. The ultimate origin of job is uncertain. Jobbed is the regular English past-tense and past-participle form in -ed, while its rarer adjectival meaning, “employed” or “having a job,” developed through its use as a participle.
How jobbed is actually used
Jobbed is standard in both British and American English. The verb inflections are ordinary, although worked, was employed, or was hired may sound more natural in formal prose. Its use as an adjective is much less common and is mainly encountered in predicative constructions such as “He was jobbed.”