What does "outwork" mean?

A minor, subsidiary fortification built beyond the main limits of fortification.

What is a synonym for "outwork"?

Common synonyms include: abatis, bank, barbican, barricade, barrier, bartizan.

//aʊtˈwɜːk// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A minor, subsidiary fortification built beyond the main limits of fortification. countable
"Beyond the castle, scattered outworks offered some protection for the farther-flung peasants."
2
subsidiary defensive structure lying outside the main fortified area wordnet
3
Agricultural work done outdoors in the fields. countable, uncountable

Verb

1
To work more, faster, or harder than (someone else). transitive
"A few may be able to outsmart him, but no one can outwork him."
2
To work out to a finish; to complete. obsolete, rare
"For now three dayes of men were full outwrought, / Since he this hardie enterprize began [...]."

"A few may be able to outsmart him, but no one can outwork him."

From out- + work.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.