What does "working" mean?
Operation; action.
Working
/ˈwɜːkɪŋ/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Operation; action.
- Grammar: working is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accomplishment, acetification, acidification, acidulation.
- Useful contrasts: broken, broken-down, down:.
- Usage evidence: He's not working much at the moment.
How to use "working"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "working" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- 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 "working" 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 "working" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "working" 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 "working" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb 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 "accomplishment" 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 "working", 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 Operation; action. countable, plural-normally, uncountable
- 2 a mine or quarry that is being or has been worked wordnet
- 3 Method of operation. countable, uncountable
- 4 The incidental or subsidiary calculations performed in solving an overall problem. countable, uncountable
"Be sure to check your working."
- 5 Fermentation. countable, uncountable
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Becoming full of a vegetable substance. countable, uncountable
- 7 A place where work is carried on. countable, uncountable
"the abandoned mine workings"
- 8 A train movement. countable
"From time to time the coaches of the Lötschberg Railway itself, which in comfort and décor can rank with the finest in Europe today, travel far from the frontiers of Switzerland on through workings such as these."
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of work form-of, gerund, participle, present
"Leave him alone; he’s working."
Adjective
- 1 That is or are functioning. not-comparable
"a working ventilator"
- 2 That suffices but requires additional work; provisional. not-comparable
"a working copy of the script"
- 3 In paid employment. not-comparable
"Working mothers have recently joined the factory's workforce."
- 4 Of or relating to employment. not-comparable
"the working week"
- 5 Enough to allow one to use something. not-comparable
"a working knowledge of computers"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Used in real life; practical. not-comparable
"The working minimum focus distance is the distance from the closest focusable subject to the lens."
- 7 Efficacious. not-comparable, obsolete
"You ſee my Lord, what woorking woordes hee hath. But when you ſee his actions ſtop ^([sic – meaning top]) his ſpeech, Your ſpeech will ſtay, or ſo extol his worth, As I ſhalbe commended and excuſde For turning my poore charge to his direction."
Adjective
- 1 serving to permit or facilitate further work or activity wordnet
- 2 actively engaged in paid work wordnet
- 3 (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing wordnet
- 4 adopted as a temporary basis for further work wordnet
- 5 adequate for practical use; especially sufficient in strength or numbers to accomplish something wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from German.
Antonyms
Example
"He's not working much at the moment."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "working"?
Common synonyms include: accomplishment, acetification, acidification, acidulation, act, acting.
How do you use "working" in a sentence?
He's not working much at the moment.
How do you pronounce "working"?
Pronounced /ˈwɜːkɪŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English werking, werkynge, warkynge, worchinge, from Old English wyrċing (“working”), verbal noun of wyrċan (“to work”), equivalent to work + -ing. Cognate with Scots wirking, warking, Dutch werking, German Wirkung.
Etymology 2
From Middle English workyng, wirkynge, worchinge, werchinge, workinde, wirkand, worchende, wurchende, from Old English wyrċende, from Proto-Germanic *wurkijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *wurkijaną (“to work”), equivalent to work + -ing. Compare Scots wirkand, werkand, warkand (“working”), Dutch werkend (“working, acting”), German wirkend (“acting, working”).
Etymology 3
Probably an Americanized form of German Werking.