Work Definition

wûrk
worked, working, works
noun
works
Physical or mental effort exerted to do or make something; purposeful activity; labor; toil.
Webster's New World
Such effort or activity by which one makes a living; employment.
Looking for work.
American Heritage
Employment at a job or in a position.
Webster's New World
Occupation, profession, business, trade, craft, etc.
Webster's New World
The place where one is employed.
Webster's New World
adjective
Of, for, or used in work.
Webster's New World
Designating or of heavy-duty clothing designed for wear while engaged in manual or outdoor labor.
Webster's New World
verb
worked, working, works
To exert oneself in order to do or make something; do work; labor; toil.
Webster's New World
To be employed.
Webster's New World
To sew, embroider, etc.
To work a sampler.
Webster's New World
To operate effectively; be effectual.
A makeshift arrangement that works.
Webster's New World
To perform its required or expected function; operate or act as specified.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
idiom
at work
  • Engaged in labor; working:

    at work on a new project.

  • In operation:

    inflationary forces at work in the economy.

American Heritage
in the works
  • In preparation; under development:

    has a novel in the works.

American Heritage
out of work
  • Without a job; unemployed.
American Heritage
put in work
  • To perform labor or duties, as on a specified project:

    put in work on the plastering.

American Heritage
work both sides of the street
  • To engage in double-dealing; be duplicitous.
American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Work

Noun

Singular:
work
Plural:
works

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Work

Origin of Work

  • From Old English weorc, worc, from Proto-Germanic *werkÄ…, from Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom; akin to Old Frisian werk, wirk, Old Saxon werk, Dutch werk, German Werk, Old High German werc, werah, Icelandic verk, Swedish verk, Danish værk, Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌹 (gawaúrki), Ancient Greek ἔργον (érgon, “work") (from ϝέργον (wergon)), Avestan 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰 (vÉ™rÉ™z, “to work, to perform"), Armenian Õ£Õ¸Ö€Õ® (gorc, “work"), Albanian argëtoj (“entertain, reward, please"). English cognates include bulwark, energy, erg, georgic, liturgy, metallurgy, organ, surgeon, wright.

    From Wiktionary

  • From Old English wyrÄ‹an, from Proto-Germanic *wurkijanÄ… (“to work"), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- (“to work"). Cognate with Old Frisian werka, wirka, Old Saxon wirkian, Low German warken, Dutch werken, Old High German wurken (German wirken, werken and werkeln), Old Norse yrkja and orka, (Swedish yrka and orka), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (waurkjan).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English weorc werg- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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