Adjacent Words

work out definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: come up with; "His colleagues worked out his interesting idea"; "We worked up an ad for our client" [syn: work out, work up]
2: happen in a certain way, leading to, producing, or resulting in a certain outcome, often well; "Things worked out in an interesting way"; "Not everything worked out in the end and we were disappointed"
3: work out in detail; "elaborate a plan" [syn: elaborate, work out]
4: do physical exercise; "She works out in the gym every day" [syn: exercise, work out]
5: be calculated; "The fees work out to less than $1,000"
6: make a mathematical calculation or computation [syn: calculate, cipher, cypher, compute, work out, reckon, figure]
7: 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" [syn: solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick, work]
8: 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" [syn: exercise, work, work out]

Merriam Webster's

verb Date: 1534 transitive verb 1. a. to bring about by labor and exertion <work out your own salvation — Philippians
2:12 (Authorized Version)> b. to solve (as a problem) by a process of reasoning or calculation c. to devise, arrange, or achieve by resolving difficulties <after many years of wrangling, worked out a definite agreement — A. A. Butkus> d. develop <the final situation is not worked out with psychological profundity — Leslie Rees> 2. to discharge (as a debt) by labor 3. to exhaust (as a mine) by working intransitive verb 1. a. to prove effective, practicable, or suitable <how this will actually work out I don't know — Milton Kotler> b. to amount to a total or calculated figure — used with at or to 2. to engage in a workout <works out regularly at the gym>

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. If you work out a solution to a problem or mystery, you manage to find the solution by thinking or talking about it. Negotiators are due to meet later today to work out a compromise... It took me some time to work out what was causing this... 'How will you contact me?'—'We haven't worked that out yet.' = figure out PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V P wh, V n P • If you have something all worked out, you have thought about it carefully, and know exactly what you are going to do or exactly what you want. I had the ideal man all worked out in my mind. PHRASE: have inflects 2. If you work out the answer to a mathematical problem, you calculate it. It is proving hard to work out the value of bankrupt firms' assets... When asked what a £40.35 meal for five people would cost each diner, they were unable to work it out. = calculate PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P 3. If something works out at a particular amount, it is calculated to be that amount after all the facts and figures have been considered. The price per pound works out at £3.20... It will probably work out cheaper to hire a van and move your own things. PHRASAL VERB: V P at amount, V P adj 4. If a situation works out well or works out, it happens or progresses in a satisfactory way. Things just didn't work out as planned... One of the ways people experience loss is when relationships don't work out. PHRASAL VERB: V P prep/adv, V P 5. If a process works itself out, it reaches a conclusion or satisfactory end. People involved in it think it's a nightmare, but I'm sure it will work itself out. PHRASAL VERB: V pron-refl P 6. If you work out your service or your notice, you continue to work at your job until you have completed a specified period of time. There was an interim before her successor actually came because she had to work out her notice. PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), also V n P 7. If you work out, you do physical exercises in order to make your body fit and strong. Work out at a gym or swim twice a week. = exercise PHRASAL VERB: V P 8. see also workout

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

Accomplish, effect, perform, realize, bring to pass.

Moby Thesaurus

accommodate, accomplish, achieve, add, adjust, algebraize, amplify, answer, arrange, attain, attend, become of, bottom, bring off, calculate, carry into effect, carry into execution, carry off, carry out, carry through, cast, cipher, clear up, close, close with, come about, come of, come out, come through, compass, complete, compose, compute, concert, conclude, consummate, contrive, crack, cut out, deal with, debug, decipher, decode, descant, design, detail, develop, devise, dilate, discharge, disentangle, dispatch, dispose of, divide, divine, do, do the job, do the trick, dope, dope out, effect, effectuate, elaborate, enact, end, enlarge, enlarge upon, ensue, enter into detail, estimate, eventuate, evolve, execute, expand, expatiate, explain, explicate, extract roots, fall out, fare, fathom, fetch, figure, figure in, figure out, find out, find the answer, find the solution, fix, follow, forecast, frame, fulfill, get, get right, get through, go into, go through, guess, guess right, have it, hit it, implement, intend, interpret, issue, knock off, labor, lay plans, make, make a projection, make arrangements, make out, make up, manage, measure, methodize, multiply, open the lock, organize, pan out, particularize, perform, plan, plan ahead, plumb, polish off, prearrange, produce, program, project, prove, prove to be, psych, psych out, put away, put in practice, put into effect, put into practice, put through, puzzle out, rationalize, ravel, ravel out, realize, reckon, rehearse in extenso, relate at large, resolve, result, riddle, schedule, schematize, score, set up, settle, settle with, shape, solve, sort out, spell out, straighten out, subtract, succeed, systematize, take account of, take care of, tally, terminate, translate into action, turn out, turn the trick, undo, unfold, unlock, unravel, unriddle, unscramble, untangle, untwist, unweave, work, work up