work

/wˈɝk/

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Definitions

Noun
activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work"
Noun
a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing; "it is not regarded as one of his more memorable works"; "the symphony was hailed as an ingenious work"; "he was indebted to the pioneering work of John Dewey"; "the work of an active imagination"; "erosion is the work of wind or water over time"
Noun
the occupation for which you are paid; "he is looking for employment"; "a lot of people are out of work"
Noun
applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading); "mastering a second language requires a lot of work"; "no schools offer graduate study in interior design"
Noun
(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; "work equals force times distance"
Noun
a place where work is done; "he arrived at work early today"
Noun
the total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it); "he studied the entire Wagnerian oeuvre"; "Picasso''s work can be divided into periods"
Verb
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"
Verb
be employed; "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"
Verb
have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected; "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"
Verb
perform as expected when applied; "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"
Verb
shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal"
Verb
give a workout to; "Some parents exercise their infants"; "My personal trainer works me hard"; "work one''s muscles"; "this puzzle will exercise your mind"
Verb
proceed along a path; "work one''s way through the crowd"; "make one''s way into the forest"
Verb
operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"
Verb
proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity; "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"
Verb
move in an agitated manner; "His fingers worked with tension"
Verb
cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area"
Verb
cause to work; "he is working his servants hard"
Verb
prepare for crops; "Work the soil"; "cultivate the land"
Verb
behave in a certain way when handled; "This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well"
Verb
have and exert influence or effect; "The artist''s work influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends to support the political candidate"
Verb
operate in or through; "Work the phones"
Verb
cause to operate or function; "This pilot works the controls"; "Can you work an electric drill?"
Verb
provoke or excite; "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"
Verb
gratify and charm, usually in order to influence; "the political candidate worked the crowds"
Verb
make something, usually for a specific function; "She molded the rice balls carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword"
Verb
move into or onto; "work the raisins into the dough"; "the student worked a few jokes into his presentation"; "work the body onto the flatbed truck"
Verb
make uniform; "knead dough"; "work the clay until it is soft"
Verb
use or manipulate to one''s advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy"
Verb
find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; "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"
Verb
cause to undergo fermentation; "We ferment the grapes for a very long time to achieve high alcohol content"; "The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats"
Verb
go sour or spoil; "The milk has soured"; "The wine worked"; "The cream has turned--we have to throw it out"
Verb
arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"
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Antonyms

idle
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More Specific Terms

action aid answer assist attention avail bakehouse bakery bakeshop bank beat beaver beaver away beehive blackjack blackleg blackmail booking boondoggle break break one''s back brokerage brokerage house buckle down bushwhack busy busywork caning care carpenter carry carve cast central chef-d''oeuvre chip claw clerk coaching coaching job coil cold work coldwork collaborate colliery color colour computerise computerize cooperate coursework creamery cut cut out cybernate dig dominate double drill site drive drudge duty electioneer engagement exchange exercise exploit fag farm feed fill fink fish farm fishery fix followup follow-up forge form freelance gasworks get at get together glassworks go through grind guess handbuild hand-build handcraft handicraft handiwork handwork heavy lifting help hill hot-work housekeeping housewifery housework imprint infer intern investigating investigation ironing ironwork ironworks job join forces jostle keep one''s nose to the grindstone keep one''s shoulder to the wheel knuckle down lab labor laboratory labour lacework lacquerware laundry lavation layer leatherwork location logging loose end lumberyard machine make hay make over make-work man manipulate masterpiece masticate mess around metalwork militate minister ministry mission missionary work model moil mold monkey monkey around moonlight mould mound muck about muck around navigation nightwork occupy openwork operation overcrop overcultivate overwork oyster bank oyster bed oyster park page paper route paperwork peg away persuade piecework piscary pit play plug away polishing polychrome potter preform prejudice prepossess pressure prey procedure project proof proving ground public service publication puddle pull one''s weight pull strings pull wires putter rack rat remold research lab research laboratory reshape resolve retread rework riddle roll rope yard ropewalk roughcast roundhouse run run through sailing scab scant science lab science laboratory sculpt sculpture seafaring serve service services shining shipyard shop shop floor silverwork sinter skimp skipper slave slog smithy social service spadework specialise specialize stamp stir strike studio subbing subcontract substituting swage sway swing swing over take tannery task telecommuting telephone exchange teleworking tending test bed throw till timework tinker toil tool travail turn a trick undertaking unfinished business upset use vinify volunteer wait waitress warm up wash washing waterworks welfare work whore wicker wickerwork woodwork work work at work in progress work load work on work out work through workload workpiece workshop writing
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