work Definition
work (wʉrk)
noun
- physical or mental effort exerted to do or make something; purposeful activity; labor; toil
- employment at a job or in a position
- occupation, profession, business, trade, craft, etc.
- something one is making, doing, or acting upon, esp. as part of one's occupation or duty; task; undertaking to bring work home from the office
- the amount of this a day's work
- something that has been made or done; result of a specific kind of activity or way of working [to have dental work done, skillful brushwork]; specif.,
- an act; deed: usually used in pl. a person of good works
- collected writings the works of Poe
- engineering structures, as bridges, dams, docks, etc.
- a fortification
- needlework; embroidery
- work of art
- material that is being or is to be processed, as in a machine tool, in some state of manufacture
- a place where work is done, as a factory, public utility plant, etc.: often in combination steelworks, gasworks
- manner, style, quality, rate, etc. of working; workmanship
- foam due to fermentation, as in cider
- the action of, or effect produced by, natural forces
- Mech. the product of force and the amount of displacement in the direction of that force: it is the means by which energy is transferred from one object or system to another: abbrev. W
- Theol. acts done in compliance with religious laws or duties or aimed at fulfilling religious ideals
Etymology: ME werk < OE weorc, akin to Ger werk < IE base *werĝ-, to do, act > Gr ergon (for *wergon), action, work, organon, tool, instrument
adjective
of, for, or used in work
intransitive verb worked, work′·ing
- to exert oneself in order to do or make something; do work; labor; toil
- to be employed
- to perform its required or expected function; operate or act as specified
- to operate effectively; be effectual a makeshift arrangement that works
- to undergo fermentation
- to produce results or exert an influence let it work in their minds
- to be manipulated, kneaded, etc. putty that works easily
- to move, proceed, etc. slowly and with or as with difficulty
- to move, twitch, etc. as from agitation his face worked with emotion
- to change into a specified condition, as by repeated movement the door worked loose
- Naut. to strain, as in a storm, so that the fastenings become slack: said of a ship
Etymology: OE wyrcan, wercan
transitive verb
- to cause; bring about; effect an idea that worked harm
- to mold; shape; form to work silver
- to sew, embroider, etc. to work a sampler
- to solve (a mathematical problem, puzzle, etc.)
- to draw, paint, carve, etc. (a portrait or likeness)
- to manipulate; knead to work dough
- to bring into a specified condition, as by movement back and forth to work a nail loose
- to cultivate (soil)
- to cause to function; operate; manage; use to work a pump
- to cause fermentation in
- to cause to work to work a crew hard
- to influence; persuade to work someone around to one's way of thinking
- to make (one's way, passage, etc.) by work or effort
- to provoke; rouse; excite to work oneself into a rage
- to carry on activity in, along, etc.; cover a salesman working his territory
- Informal to make use of, esp. by artful contriving to work one's connections
- ☆ Informal to use one's influence, charm, etc. on (a person) to gain some profit or advantage
- ☆ Slang to move through (a crowd or room) greeting people, shaking hands, etc.: said esp. of a politician
work Idioms
at work
- working or engaged in work
- operating unseen forces were at work on the economy
get the works
☆Slang to be the victim of extreme measures
give someone the works
☆ Slang- to murder someone
- to subject someone to an ordeal, either maliciously or jokingly
in the works
Informal in the process of being planned or done
make short work of
or make quick work ofto deal with or dispose of quickly
out of work
without a job; unemployed
shoot the works
☆ Slang- to risk everything on one chance or play
- to make a supreme effort or attempt
the works
- the working parts or mechanism (of a watch, clock, etc.)
- ☆ Informal
- all possible accessories, extras, etc.
- everything that can be included
work in
- to introduce or insert
- to be introduced or inserted
work off
- to get rid of or dissipate, as by exertion
- ☆ to pay (a debt or obligation) by work rather than with money
work on
or work upon- to influence
- to try to persuade
work out
- to make its way out, as from being embedded
- to exhaust (a mine, etc.)
- work off (sense )
- to bring about by work; accomplish
- to solve
- to calculate
- to result in some way things did not work out as planned
- to add up to a total (at a specified amount)
- to develop; elaborate
- to put into practice
- to engage in a training session or program for physical fitness or athletic skill
work over
- to work or do again
- ☆ Informal to subject to harsh or cruel treatment, as by beating, torture, etc.
work up
- ☆ to make one's (or its) way up; advance; rise
- to manipulate, mix, etc. into a specified object or shape
- to develop; elaborate
- to acquire knowledge of or skill at
- to arouse; excite
- Slang to bring about or cause (a sweat) by vigorous activity
work Synonyms
work
n.
Something to be done
commitment, task, obligation; see job 2.The doing of work, sense 1
performance, endeavor, employment, production, occupation, profession, vocation, calling, practice, activity, manufacture, industry, operation, transaction, toil, labor, exertion, drudgery, functioning, stress, struggle, slavery, trial, push, attempt, effort, pains, elbow grease*, muscle*. * The result of labor; often plural
composition, feat, accomplishment, output, product, deed, act, finished article, achievement, end product, opus, opera; see also drama 1, literature 1, movie, music 1, picture 3.Occupation
profession, craft, business; see job 1, trade 2.
at work
give someone the works*
in the works*
make short<strong> or </strong>quick work of*
off work
out of work
shoot the works*
work Synonyms
work
v.
To labor
toil, slave, sweat, do a day's work, do the chores, exert oneself, apply oneself, do one's best, overexert, overwork, overstrain, get to work, work overtime, work day and night, work early and late, work one's way up, fight one's way up, tax one's energies, pull, plod, tug, chore, struggle, strive, carry on, do the job*, punch a time clock*, put in time*, pour it on*, not spare the horses*, work one's fingers to the bone*, buckle down*, bear down*, work like a horse, work like a dog, work like a slave*, keep at it*, stay with it*, put one's shoulder to the wheel*, burn the candle at both ends*, burn the midnight oil*; see also fight 1.To be employed
earn one's living, earn a living, have a job, hold a position, occupy a post, report for work, be off the dole, be off the welfare rolls, be among the gainfully employed, be on the job, do time*, do one's stint*, be working on the railroad*, be a wage slave*. To function
To handle successfully
control, accomplish, manage; see achieve 1, operate 3.To fashion
To ferment
work Usage Examples
Object
- class: Manufacturing suburbs of Tokyo and working class are the focus of her recent work.
- hour: Hours of Work/Working Arrangements The post holder will be contracted to work 37 hours per week.
- day: And if you're out at work all day, make sure your home doesn't get too hot.
- relationship: The HLF should develop a working relationship with funding agencies which are supporting pure research to identify areas where synergy is possible.
Converse of object
- undertake: By removing operational and time constraints, rope access services are often able to extend the ' time window ' available to undertake work.
- do: Early in 1941 [ aged 65 ] he began to do useful work.
- start: My job requires a great amount of flexibility, including what time you might have to start work!
- begin: Unfortunately, it is something you need to think about fairly soon after beginning work because some closing dates for courses are very early.
Adjective modifier
hard: We thank Clair for all her hard work in the past.
Adjective complement
hard: These organizations are generally not household names, and therefore often have to work twice as hard to secure the funding they need.
Followed by an intransitive particle
- on: What is your area of specialism & what types of projects have you worked on?
- out: Working out what they all mean is another matter.
- through: Apply to the whole head of hair and work through to the tips.
Preposition: in
- partnership: Schools and universities work in partnership and share responsibility for training and assessing trainee teachers.
- field: The majority of the remainder of the event comprised sessions facilitated by CHAIN members and others working in the field.
Preposition: of
art: A great work of art can have no meaning.
Modifies a noun
- placement: Where appropriate clients may attend college or work placements.
- experience: It is simply based on the knowledge gained from a 30 year work experience with children of this age group.
- permit: Secretaries and other administrative staff do require work permits.
- colleague: You could see it like two work colleagues denying they were having a relationship and dating.
Browse dictionary entries near work
- ‹ wore
- ‹ wordy
- ‹ Wordsworth,William
- ‹ Wordsworth
- ‹ wordsmith
- ‹ words of purchase
- ‹ words of limitation
- ‹ words
- ‹ wordplay
- ‹ wordless
- work at ›
- work basket ›
- work camp ›
- work ethic ›
- work farm ›
- work in ›
- work-in-process ›
- work of art ›
- work off ›
- work on or upon ›

