carreira

Carreira is a Portuguese noun with several related meanings. The most common sense is professional career: the sequence of jobs, roles, and experiences that a person builds in a given field. It is used to describe a person’s vocational life or chosen professional path, as in "ele construiu uma carreira na área de comunicação." The expression "fazer carreira" means to advance professionally, and "carreira" can refer to one’s career trajectory in domains such as academia or the military.

In a broader sense, carreira can denote the course or path of life, or a professional trajectory within a particular field. It is used in phrases such as "carreira acadêmica" or "carreira militar." The term also appears in discussions of career development and can describe the overall progression within a profession or sector.

In sports and competitions, "carreira" refers to the race or the course of the event. For example, "uma carreira de cavalos" means a horse race, and the term can denote the distance or length of a race in some contexts. The sense emphasizes the competitive path contestants undertake.

As a surname and in toponymy, Carreira appears in several Portuguese-speaking countries, serving as a family name and appearing in place names.

Etymology and usage notes: the word originates in Portuguese and is connected to the notion of path, route, or trajectory. Its core senses—professional life, life course, and racing—are widely understood across Portuguese-speaking communities, with regional variations in nuance and frequency.