Work

/wɜː(ɹ)k/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Employment.; Labour, occupation, job.
  • Grammar: work is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: effort, workplace, labour, abatis.
  • Useful contrasts: broken, chilled, jobless.
  • Usage evidence: It would take me too much time to explain to you why it's not going to work.

How to use "work"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "work" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "work" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "work" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "work" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "work" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "effort" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "work", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Employment.; Labour, occupation, job. countable, uncountable

    "My work involves a lot of travel."

  2. 2
    activity directed toward making or doing something wordnet
  3. 3
    Employment.; The place where one is employed. countable, uncountable

    "He hasn’t come home yet; he’s still at work."

  4. 4
    the occupation for which you are paid wordnet
  5. 5
    Employment.; One's employer. broadly, countable, uncountable

    "I want to go to the reunion concert, but I'm not sure if my work will give me the time off."

Show 21 more definitions
  1. 6
    the total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it) wordnet
  2. 7
    Employment.; A factory; a works. countable, dated, uncountable

    "In trials of a Martin furnace in a steel work at Remscheiden, Germany, a lining of zirconia was found in good condition after […]"

  3. 8
    a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing wordnet
  4. 9
    Effort.; Effort expended on a particular task. countable, uncountable

    "Holding a brick over your head is hard work. It takes a lot of work to write a dictionary."

  5. 10
    a place where work is done wordnet
  6. 11
    Effort.; Sustained effort to overcome obstacles and achieve a result. countable, uncountable

    "We know what we must do. Let's go to work."

  7. 12
    applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading) wordnet
  8. 13
    Effort.; Something on which effort is expended. countable, uncountable

    "There's lots of work waiting for me at the office."

  9. 14
    (physics) a manifestation of energy; the transfer of energy from one physical system to another expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which it moves a body in the direction of that force wordnet
  10. 15
    Effort.; Something on which effort is expended.; Cosmetic surgery. countable, euphemistic, uncountable

    "has had a lot of work done"

  11. 16
    Effort.; Something on which effort is expended.; Prison gang violence. countable, slang, uncountable

    "has been putting in work"

  12. 17
    Effort.; A measure of energy expended in moving an object; most commonly, force times distance. No work is done if the object does not move. countable, uncountable

    "Work is done against friction to drag a bag along the ground."

  13. 18
    Effort.; A measure of energy that is usefully extracted from a process: applied productively. broadly, countable, uncountable

    "Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning "vortex", and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work."

  14. 19
    Product; the result of effort.; The result of a particular manner of production. in-compounds, often, uncountable

    "There's a lot of guesswork involved."

  15. 20
    Product; the result of effort.; Something produced using the specified material or tool. in-compounds, often, uncountable

    "We've got some paperwork to do before we can get started. The piece was decorated with intricate filigree work."

  16. 21
    Product; the result of effort.; A literary, artistic, or intellectual production; a creative work. countable

    "It is a work of art."

  17. 22
    Product; the result of effort.; A fortification. countable

    "William the Conqueror fortified many castles, throwing up new ramparts, bastions and all manner of works."

  18. 23
    The staging of events to appear as real. slang, uncountable
  19. 24
    Ore before it is dressed. countable, uncountable
  20. 25
    The equipment needed to inject a drug (syringes, needles, swabs etc.) countable, plural, plural-only, slang, uncountable

    "Tell me you're using clean works at least."

  21. 26
    The confident attitude of a drag queen. countable, uncountable

    "All told, werk is about creativity, virtuosity, and a certain kind of mastery."

Verb
  1. 1
    To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers. intransitive

    "He's working in a bar."

  2. 2
    give a workout to wordnet
  3. 3
    To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers.; Said of one's workplace (building), or one's department, or one's trade (sphere of business) [with in or at]. intransitive

    "I work in a national park."

  4. 4
    arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion wordnet
  5. 5
    To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers.; Said of one's job title [with as]. intransitive

    "This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything."

Show 50 more definitions
  1. 6
    go sour or spoil wordnet
  2. 7
    To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers.; Said of a company or individual who employs [with for]. intransitive

    "She works for Microsoft."

  3. 8
    cause to undergo fermentation wordnet
  4. 9
    To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers.; General use, said of either fellow employees or instruments or clients [with with]. intransitive

    "I work closely with my Canadian counterparts."

  5. 10
    find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of wordnet
  6. 11
    To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers.; To work or operate in a certain place, area, or speciality. intransitive, transitive

    "She works the night clubs."

  7. 12
    use or manipulate to one's advantage wordnet
  8. 13
    To do a specific task by employing physical or mental powers.; To work or operate in, through, or by means of. intransitive, transitive

    "She's working the phones."

  9. 14
    to mix into a homogeneous mass wordnet
  10. 15
    To function correctly; to act as intended; to achieve the goal designed for. intransitive

    "He pointed at the car and asked, "Does it work"?"

  11. 16
    perform as expected when applied wordnet
  12. 17
    To cause to operate, be productive, behave a certain way, or happen.; To set into action. transitive

    "He worked the levers."

  13. 18
    move into or onto wordnet
  14. 19
    To cause to operate, be productive, behave a certain way, or happen.; To exhaust, by working. transitive

    "The mine was worked until the last scrap of ore had been extracted."

  15. 20
    cause to happen or to occur as a consequence wordnet
  16. 21
    To cause to operate, be productive, behave a certain way, or happen.; To shape, form, or improve a material. transitive

    "He used pliers to work the wire into shape."

  17. 22
    make something, usually for a specific function wordnet
  18. 23
    To cause to operate, be productive, behave a certain way, or happen.; To provoke or excite; to influence. transitive

    "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy."

  19. 24
    shape, form, or improve a material wordnet
  20. 25
    To cause to operate, be productive, behave a certain way, or happen.; To use or manipulate to one’s advantage. transitive

    "She knows how to work the system."

  21. 26
    prepare for crops wordnet
  22. 27
    To cause to operate, be productive, behave a certain way, or happen.; To cause to happen or to occur as a consequence. transitive

    "I cannot work a miracle."

  23. 28
    gratify and charm, usually in order to influence wordnet
  24. 29
    To cause to operate, be productive, behave a certain way, or happen.; To force to work. transitive

    "He is working his servants hard."

  25. 30
    move in an agitated manner wordnet
  26. 31
    To move or progress slowly or with difficulty; to proceed with effort. intransitive

    "to work into the earth"

  27. 32
    proceed along a path wordnet
  28. 33
    To move or progress slowly or with difficulty; to proceed with effort.; To move or progress slowly [with one's way]. intransitive, transitive

    "He worked his way through the crowd."

  29. 34
    provoke or excite wordnet
  30. 35
    To cause to move slowly or with difficulty. transitive

    "Using some tweezers, she worked the bee sting out of her hand."

  31. 36
    proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity wordnet
  32. 37
    To embroider with thread. transitive
  33. 38
    cause to work wordnet
  34. 39
    To ferment. intransitive
  35. 40
    be employed wordnet
  36. 41
    To cause to ferment. transitive

    "For Inanimate Things, you may trie the Force of Imagination, vpon Staying the Working of Beere, when the Barme is put in; Or vpon the Comming of Butter, or Cheeſe, after the Cherming, or the Rennet bee put in."

  37. 42
    exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; work wordnet
  38. 43
    To influence. figuratively, intransitive

    "They worked on her to join the group."

  39. 44
    cause to operate or function wordnet
  40. 45
    To move in an agitated manner. intransitive

    "His fingers worked with tension."

  41. 46
    operate in or through wordnet
  42. 47
    To behave in a certain way when handled intransitive

    "This dough does not work easily."

  43. 48
    have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected wordnet
  44. 49
    To cause (someone) to feel (something); to do unto somebody (something, whether good or bad). ditransitive, poetic

    "And indeed I blamed myself and sore repented me of having taken compassion on him and continued in this condition, suffering fatigue not to be described, till I said to myself, “I wrought him a weal and he requited me with my ill; by Allah, never more will I do any man a service so long as I live!”"

  45. 50
    have and exert influence or effect wordnet
  46. 51
    To hurt; to ache. intransitive, obsolete

    "‘I wolde hit were so,’ seyde the Kynge, ‘but I may nat stonde, my hede worchys so—’"

  47. 52
    operate in a certain place, area, or specialty wordnet
  48. 53
    To pull off; to wear, perform, etc. successfully or to advantage. slang, transitive

    "I would have never thought those pieces would go together, but she is working it like nobody's business."

  49. 54
    behave in a certain way when handled wordnet
  50. 55
    To perform with a confident attitude, particularly as a drag queen. intransitive

    "Plus, all that gym work means you've got muscles for days. You gotta werk it, babe." She puts a swish and swing into her next few steps before she bursts out laughing, and I have to join in."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
effortworkplacelabourabatisabsolute musicaccomplish

Antonyms

brokenchilledjoblessrecreational activity

Example

"It would take me too much time to explain to you why it's not going to work."

Common questions

What does "work" mean?

Employment.; Labour, occupation, job.

What is a synonym for "work"?

Common synonyms include: effort, workplace, labour, abatis, absolute music, accomplish.

How do you use "work" in a sentence?

It would take me too much time to explain to you why it's not going to work.

How do you pronounce "work"?

Pronounced /wɜː(ɹ)k/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-om Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom Proto-Germanic *werką Proto-West Germanic *werk Old English weorc Middle English werk English work From Middle English work, werk, from Old English weorc, from Proto-West Germanic *werk, from Proto-Germanic *werką (“work”), from Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom (“work”), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- (“to make”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wark (“work”), North Frisian werk (“work”), Saterland Frisian Wierk (“work”), West Frisian wurk (“work”), Dutch werk (“work”), German Werk (“work”), German Low German Wark (“work”), Luxembourgish Wierk (“work”), Danish værk (“work”), Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish verk (“work”); also Breton ober (“to do, make”), Cornish gul, gwul (“to do, make”), Irish and Scottish Gaelic fearg (“anger”), Manx ferg (“anger”), Pictish ᚒᚏᚏᚐᚉᚈ (urract, “he made”), Welsh gwneud, neud (“to do, make”), Greek έργο (érgo, “work”), Albanian argëtim (“entertainment; fun, pleasure”), argëtoj (“to amuse, entertain”), Lithuanian váržas (“fish snaring net”), Macedonian врша (vrša, “fish-trap”), Polish wiersza (“fish-trap”), Russian and Ukrainian ве́рша (vérša, “fish-trap”), Serbo-Croatian вр̑ша, vȓša (“fish-trap”), Slovak and Slovene vrša (“fish-trap”), Aghwan 𐔱𐕒𐕙𐔵 (borz, “labour, work”), Armenian գործ (gorc, “work”), Northern Kurdish werz (“bed, field, patch; season”), Avestan 𐬬𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰 (vər^əz, “to do, work”), Persian ورز (varz, “art, craft, trade”), ورزه (varze, “art, profession, trade”), ورزیدن (varzidan, “to exercise; to train; to work”), Tocharian B warkṣäl (“energy, power, strength”). English cognates include bulwark, boulevard, energy, erg, georgic, liturgy, metallurgy, organ, surgeon, wright. Doublet of erg and ergon.

Etymology 2

From Middle English werken and worchen, from Old English wyrċan and wircan (Mercian), from Proto-Germanic *wurkijaną (“to work”), from Proto-Indo-European *wr̥ǵyéti (“to be working, to be at work”), from the root *werǵ-. 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).

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