work (wɜːk
)
Definitions
noun
- physical or mental effort directed towards doing or making something
- paid employment at a job or a trade, occupation, or profession
- a duty, task, or undertaking
- something done, made, etc, as a result of effort or exertion ⇒
a work of art
- materials or tasks on which to expend effort or exertion
- another word for workmanship (sense 3)
- the place, office, etc, where a person is employed
- any piece of material that is undergoing a manufacturing operation or process; workpiece
- decoration or ornamentation, esp of a specified kind
- ((in combination) ⇒
wirework
woolwork
- an engineering structure such as a bridge, building, etc
- physics the transfer of energy expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which its point of application moves in the direction of the force
Ww - a structure, wall, etc, built or used as part of a fortification system
- See at work
- See make short work of
- (modifier) of, relating to, or used for work ⇒
work clothes
a work permit
verb
- (intr) to exert effort in order to do, make, or perform something
- (intr) to be employed
- (tr) to carry on operations, activity, etc, in (a place or area) ⇒
that salesman works the southern region
- (tr) to cause to labour or toil ⇒
he works his men hard
- to operate or cause to operate, esp properly or effectively ⇒
to work a lathe
that clock doesn't work
- (tr) to till or cultivate (land)
- to handle or manipulate or be handled or manipulated ⇒
to work dough
- to shape, form, or process or be shaped, formed, or processed ⇒
to work copper
- to reach or cause to reach a specific condition, esp gradually ⇒
the rope worked loose
- (tr) mainly US Canadian to solve (a mathematical problem)
- (intr) to move in agitation ⇒
his face worked with anger
- (tr) up to provoke or arouse ⇒
to work someone into a frenzy
- (tr) to effect or accomplish ⇒
to work one's revenge
- to make (one's way) with effort ⇒
he worked his way through the crowd
- (tr) to make or decorate by hand in embroidery, tapestry, etc ⇒
she was working a sampler
- (intr) (of a mechanism) to move in a loose or otherwise imperfect fashion
- (intr) (of liquids) to ferment, as in brewing
- (tr) informal to manipulate or exploit to one's own advantage
- (tr) slang to cheat or swindle
Alternative Forms
ˈworkless adjective ˈworklessness nounWord Origin
Old English weorc (n), wircan, wyrcan (vb); related to Old High German wurchen, German wirken, Old Norse yrkja, Gothic waurkjanSynonyms
View thesaurus entry= be employed do business have a job earn a living be in work hold down a job
=
succeed,
work out,
pay off,
be successful be effective
do the trick,
do the business,
get results turn out well have the desired result go as planned
do the business,
=
accomplish,
cause,
create,
effect,
achieve,
carry out,
implement,
execute,
bring about,
encompass,
contrive,
=
employment,
calling,
business,
job,
line,
office,
trade,
duty,
craft,
profession,
occupation,
pursuit,
livelihood,
métier,
Quotations
"I just don't happen to think [work]'s an appropriate subject for an ethic"
"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion"
"I mean, really: Why work? Simply to buy more stuff?"
"Work is the curse of the drinking classes"
"Work is the great cure of all maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind"
"If any would not work, neither should he eat"
Bible: II Thessalonians"All that matters is love and work"
"Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing"
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"
Translations
- British English:
work
People who have work have a job.Fewer and fewer people are in work.wɜːk NOUN Fewer and fewer people are in work.
- Spanish:
trabajo
nm
- French:
travail
nm
- German:
Arbeit
nf
- Chinese: 工作 n
- Arabic: عَمَل n
- Portuguese: trabalho nm
- Russian: работа nf
- Croatian: rad nm
- Czech: práce nf
- Danish: arbejde nnt
- Dutch: werk nnt
- Finnish: työ n
- Greek: δουλειά nf
- Italian: lavoro nm
- Japanese: 労働 n
- Korean: 일 n
- Norwegian: arbeid nnt
- Polish: praca nf
- Brazilian Portuguese: trabalho nm
- European Spanish:
trabajo
nm
- Swedish: arbete nutr
- Thai: การงาน n
- Turkish: iş n
- Vietnamese: công việc n
- British English:
work
When you work, you do something that uses a lot of your time or effort.We work hard all day.wɜːk VERB We work hard all day.
- Spanish:
trabajar
v
- French:
travailler
v
- German:
arbeiten
v
- Chinese: 工作 vi
- Arabic: يَعْمَلُ vi
- Portuguese: trabalhar vi
- Russian: работать vi
- Croatian: raditi v
- Czech: pracovat vi
- Danish: arbejde v
- Dutch: werken vi
- Finnish: työskennellä v
- Greek: δουλεύω v
- Italian: lavorare v
- Japanese: 働く v
- Korean: 일하다 vi
- Norwegian: arbeide v
- Polish: pracować vi
- Brazilian Portuguese: trabalhar vi
- European Spanish:
trabajar
v
- Swedish: arbeta vi
- Thai: ทำงาน v
- Turkish: çalışmak vt
- Vietnamese: làm việc v
- British English:
work
If a machine works, it does its job.The TV isn't working.wɜːk VERB The TV isn't working.
- French:
fonctionner
vi
- Arabic: يَشْتَغِلُ v
- Brazilian Portuguese: funcionar vi
Usage examples
I was walking past an Italian restaurant round the corner from work.
, THE EXECUTION (2002)A spokesperson for the council explained:'Planning & Regeneration Officers continue to work to secure a viable future for Gwrych.
Country Life (2004)"Both parties should work constructively together to address the difficulties facing the sector.
Irish Times (2002)I wanted to check whether I would be able to take out a stakeholder pension as soon as I stop work.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Then 35-year-old Dr William Summerlin, tall, charming and persuasive, came to work under Dr Good.
, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)