Occupation
Occupation noun - The activity by which one regularly makes a living.
Usage example: my primary occupation is stockbroker, but I'm a drummer in a rock band on the weekends
Task
Task noun - The action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists.
Usage example: the forklift's task is to stack pallets of goods in the warehouse
Occupation is a synonym for task in job topic. Sometimes you can use "Occupation" instead a noun "Task", if it concerns topics such as job or chore.
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
How words are described
Both words in one sentence
- The 2003 Iraq War had a similar effect to Vietnam: America easily won militarily, but the task of rebuilding the country led to a long occupation with mounting casualties.
Source: Shocking Defeat Legacy -
During the Cardassian occupation, the caste system was abandoned so that everyone could devote themselves to the task of fighting off the Cardassians, and the Bajorans did not return to the system after the occupation ended.
Source: Fantastic Caste System - The task force (a cruiser and several frigates) sent to liberate the T'har colony from Dromi occupation encounters an entire fleet in orbit.
Cite this Source
Task and Occupation. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 20, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/occupation/task
Occupation & Task. N.p., 2016. Web. 20 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/occupation/task>.
Task or Occupation. 2016. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/occupation/task.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "occupation" and "task" have occurred on timeline