Meaning & use
CV
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Meanings
abbreviationcountable
A document listing your education, jobs and skills, sent when applying for work.
Grammar: Countable: send a CV, update your CVs; stands for curriculum vitae.
Patterns
- send your CV to someone
- a CV for a job
I updated my CV before applying for the job.
Please attach your CV to the email.
Her CV lists three years of teaching experience.
abbreviationcountableAmerican
A detailed academic record of a person's research, publications and teaching.
Grammar: Used in the US mainly for academic or medical jobs.
Patterns
- an academic CV
The professor's CV runs to twenty pages.
Applicants for the research post must submit a full academic CV.
Word forms
| plural | CVs |
|---|
Common combinations
- update your CV
- Update your CV after each new job.
- send in a CV
- He sent in a CV and a cover letter.
- tailor your CV
- Tailor your CV to each role.
- CV and cover letter
- They asked for a CV and cover letter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- résumé
- The usual American word, normally shorter than an academic CV.
Word family
- curriculum vitae noun
- the full Latin-based name
Commonly confused: CV or cover letter?
CV vs cover letter
A cover letter explains why you want the job; the CV lists your history.
Practice
What would you normally send with a job application in Britain?
Choose one answer.
A CV summarises your work and education. The others are not part of an application.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “CV”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.