day job

noun

: one's regular employment as contrasted with an occasional, secondary, or coveted job

Examples of day job in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Members, many of whom held day jobs as firefighters and law enforcement officers, were paid when they were deployed, according to Coggan and the current members. Lia Russell, Sacramento Bee, 24 Jan. 2025 Its operatives exist in the shadows, doing unsavory work behind the scenes so that James T Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, and other Starfleet captains can carry out their day jobs without getting their hands too dirty. Richard Edwards, Space.com, 24 Jan. 2025 In Las Vegas, their day jobs are, well, also in entertainment. Mikayla Whitmore, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025 The work paid off; Rudd started collecting enough views and brand deals to quit his day job last June. Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for day job 

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of day job was in 1971

Dictionary Entries Near day job

Cite this Entry

“Day job.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/day%20job. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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