noun
- A mine or quarry that is being or has been worked.
- synonyms: workings
verb
- Exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity.
- usage: "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"
- synonyms: work
- Be employed.
- usage: "Is your husband working again"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"
- Have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected.
- usage: "The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought"; "How does your idea work in practice"; "This method doesn't work"; "The breaks of my new car act quickly"; "The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water"
- Perform as expected when applied.
- usage: "The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in"; "Does this old car still run well"; "This old radio doesn't work anymore"
- Shape, form, or improve a material.
- usage: "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal"
- Give a workout to.
- usage: "Some parents exercise their infants"; "My personal trainer works me hard"; "work one's muscles"; "this puzzle will exercise your mind"
- Proceed along a path.
- usage: "work one's way through the crowd"; "make one's way into the forest"
- Operate in a certain place, area, or specialty.
- usage: "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"
- synonyms: work
- Proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity.
- usage: "work your way through every problem or task"; "She was working on her second martini when the guests arrived"; "Start from the bottom and work towards the top"
- synonyms: work
- Move in an agitated manner.
- usage: "His fingers worked with tension"
- synonyms: work
- Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence.
- usage: "I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area"
- Cause to work.
- usage: "he is working his servants hard"
- synonyms: work, put to work
- Prepare for crops.
- usage: "Work the soil"; "cultivate the land"
- Behave in a certain way when handled.
- usage: "This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well"
- synonyms: work
- Have and exert influence or effect.
- usage: "The artist's work influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends to support the political candidate"
- Operate in or through.
- usage: "Work the phones"
- synonyms: work
- Cause to operate or function.
- usage: "This pilot works the controls"; "Can you work an electric drill"
- synonyms: work
- Provoke or excite.
- usage: "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"
- synonyms: work
- Gratify and charm, usually in order to influence.
- usage: "the political candidate worked the crowds"
- synonyms: work
- Make something, usually for a specific function.
- usage: "She molded the rice balls carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword"
- Move into or onto.
- usage: "work the raisins into the dough"; "the student worked a few jokes into his presentation"; "work the body onto the flatbed truck"
- synonyms: work
- Make uniform.
- usage: "knead dough"; "work the clay until it is soft"
- Use or manipulate to one's advantage.
- usage: "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy"
- Find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of.
- usage: "did you solve the problem"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it"; "Did you get my meaning"; "He could not work the math problem"
- synonyms: solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick, work
- Cause to undergo fermentation.
- usage: "We ferment the grapes for a very long time to achieve high alcohol content"; "The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats"
- Go sour or spoil.
- usage: "The milk has soured"; "The wine worked"; "The cream has turned-we have to throw it out"
- Arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion.
- usage: "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"
- synonyms: work
adjective
- Actively engaged in paid work.
- usage: "the working population"; "the ratio of working men to unemployed"; "a working mother"; "robots can be on the job day and night"
- synonyms: on the job
- Adequate for practical use; especially sufficient in strength or numbers to accomplish something.
- usage: "the party has a working majority in the House"; "a working knowledge of Spanish"
- Adopted as a temporary basis for further work.
- usage: "a working draft"; "a working hypothesis"
- Of e. G. A machine. ( performing or capable of performing)
- usage: "in running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes"
- synonyms: running, operative, functional
- Serving to permit or facilitate further work or activity.
- usage: "discussed the working draft of a peace treaty"; "they need working agreements with their neighbor states on interstate projects"