Adjacent Words

Work definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WORK, v.i. [G., Gr.]
1. In a general sense, to move, or to move one way and the other; to perform; as in popular language it is said, a mill or machine works well.
2. To labor; to be occupied in performing manual labor, whether severe or moderate. One man works better than another; one man works hare; another works lazily.
3. To be in action or motion; as the working of the heart.
4. To act; to carry on operations.
Our better part remains to work in close design.
5. To operate; to carry on business; to be customarily engaged or employed in. Some work in the mines, others in the loom, others at the anvil.
They that work in fine flax. Isaiah 19.
6. To ferment; as, unfermented liquors work violently in hot weather.
7. To operate; to produce effects by action or influence.
All things work together for good to them that love God. Romans 8.
This so wrought upon the child, that afterwards he desired to be taught.
8. To obtain by diligence. [Little used.]
9. To act or operate on the stomach and bowels; as a cathartic.
10. To labor; to strain; to move heavily; as, a ship works in a tempest.
11. To be tossed or agitated.
Confusd with working sands and rolling waves.
12. To enter by working; as, to work into the earth.
To work on, to act on; to influence.
To work up, to make way.
Body shall up to spirit work.
To work tot windward, among seamen, to sail or ply against the wind; to beat.
WORK, v.t.
1. To move; to stir and mix; as, to work mortar.
2. To form by labor; to mold, shape or manufacture; as, to work wood or iron into a form desired, or into an utensil; to work cotton or wool into cloth.
3. To bring into any state by action. A foul stream, or new wine or cider, works itself clear.
4. To influence by acting upon; to manage; to lead.
An work your royal father to his ruin.
5. To make by action, labor or violence. A stream works a passage or a new channel.
Sidelong he works his way.
6. To produce by action, labor or exertion.
We might work any effect--only by the unity of nature.
Each herb he knew, that works or good or ill.
7. To embroider; as, to work muslin.
8. To direct the movements of, by adapting the sails to the wind; as, to work a ship.
9. To put to labor; to exert.
Work every nerve.
10. To cause to ferment, as liquor.
To work out,
1. To effect by labor and exertion.
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2.
2. To expend in any work, as materials. They have worked up all the stock.
To work double tides, in the language of seamen, to perform the labor of three days in two; a phrase taken from the practice f working by the night tide as well as by the day.
To work into, to make way, or to insinuate; as, to work ones self into favor or confidence.
To work a passage, among seamen, to pay for a passage by doing duty on board of the ship.
WORK, n. [G., Gr.]
1. Labor; employment; exertion of strength; particularly in man, manual labor.
2. State of labor; as, to be at work.
3. Awkward performance. What work you make!
4. That which is made or done; as good work, or bad work.
5. Embroidery; flowers or figures wrought with the needle.
6. Any fabric or manufacture
7. The matter on which one is at work. In rising she dropped her work.
8. Action; deed; feat; achievement; as the works of bloody Mars.
9. Operation.
As to the composition or dissolution of mixed bodies, which is the chief work of elements--
10. Effect; that which proceeds from agency.
Fancy wild work produces oft, and most in dreams.
11. Management; treatment.
12. That which is produced by mental labor; a composition; a book; as the works of Addison.
13. Works, in the plural, walls, trenches and the like, made for fortifications.
14. In theology, moral duties or external performances, as distinct from grace.
To set to work, To set on work, to employ; to engage in any business.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work"
2: 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" [syn: work, piece of work]
3: the occupation for which you are paid; "he is looking for employment"; "a lot of people are out of work" [syn: employment, work]
4: 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" [syn: study, work]
5: (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"
6: a place where work is done; "he arrived at work early today" [syn: workplace, work]
7: 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" [syn: oeuvre, work, body of work] v
1: 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" [ant: idle, laze, slug, stagnate]
2: 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" [syn: work, do work]
3: 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" [syn: work, act]
4: 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" [syn: function, work, operate, go, run] [ant: malfunction, misfunction]
5: shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal" [syn: work, work on, process]
6: 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]
7: proceed along a path; "work one's way through the crowd"; "make one's way into the forest" [syn: make, work]
8: operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"
9: 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"
10: move in an agitated manner; "His fingers worked with tension"
11: 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" [syn: bring, work, play, wreak, make for]
12: cause to work; "he is working his servants hard" [syn: work, put to work]
13: prepare for crops; "Work the soil"; "cultivate the land" [syn: cultivate, crop, work]
14: behave in a certain way when handled; "This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well"
15: have and exert influence or effect; "The artist's work influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends to support the political candidate" [syn: influence, act upon, work]
16: operate in or through; "Work the phones"
17: cause to operate or function; "This pilot works the controls"; "Can you work an electric drill?"
18: provoke or excite; "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"
19: gratify and charm, usually in order to influence; "the political candidate worked the crowds"
20: 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" [syn: shape, form, work, mold, mould, forge]
21: 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"
22: make uniform; "knead dough"; "work the clay until it is soft" [syn: knead, work]
23: 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" [syn: exploit, work]
24: 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]
25: 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" [syn: ferment, work]
26: go sour or spoil; "The milk has soured"; "The wine worked"; "The cream has turned--we have to throw it out" [syn: sour, turn, ferment, work]
27: arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English werk, work, from Old English werc, weorc; akin to Old High German werc work, Greek ergon, Avestan var?zem activity Date: before 12th century 1. activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something: a. sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result b. the labor, task, or duty that is one's accustomed means of livelihood c. a specific task, duty, function, or assignment often being a part or phase of some larger activity 2. a. energy expended by natural phenomena b. the result of such energy <sand dunes are the work of sea and wind> c. the transference of energy that is produced by the motion of the point of application of a force and is measured by multiplying the force and the displacement of its point of application in the line of action 3. a. something that results from a particular manner or method of working, operating, or devising <careful police work> <clever camera work> b. something that results from the use or fashioning of a particular material <porcelain work> 4. a. a fortified structure (as a fort, earthen barricade, or trench) b. plural structures in engineering (as docks, bridges, or embankments) or mining (as shafts or tunnels) 5. plural but singular or plural in construction a place where industrial labor is carried on ; plant, factory 6. plural the working or moving parts of a mechanism <the works of a clock> 7. a. something produced or accomplished by effort, exertion, or exercise of skill <this book is the work of many hands> b. something produced by the exercise of creative talent or expenditure of creative effort ; artistic production <an early work by a major writer> 8. plural performance of moral or religious acts <salvation by works> 9. a. effective operation ; effect, result <wait for time to do its healing work> b. manner of working ; workmanship, execution 10. the material or piece of material that is operated upon at any stage in the process of manufacture 11. plural a. everything possessed, available, or belonging <the whole works, rod, reel, tackle box, went overboard> <ordered pizza with the works> b. subjection to drastic treatment ; all possible abuse — usually used with get <get the works> or give <gave them the works> Synonyms: work, labor, travail, toil, drudgery, grind mean activity involving effort or exertion. work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force <too tired to do any work>. labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion <farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor>. travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering <years of travail were lost when the house burned>. toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor <his lot would be years of back-breaking toil>. drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor <an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery>. grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body <the grind of the assembly line>. Synonyms: work, employment, occupation, calling, pursuit, métier, business mean a specific sustained activity engaged in especially in earning one's living. work may apply to any purposeful activity whether remunerative or not <her work as a hospital volunteer>. employment implies work for which one has been engaged and is being paid by an employer <your employment with this firm is hereby terminated>. occupation implies work in which one engages regularly especially as a result of training <his occupation as a trained auto mechanic>. calling applies to an occupation viewed as a vocation or profession <the ministry seemed my true calling>. pursuit suggests a trade, profession, or avocation followed with zeal or steady interest <her family considered medicine the only proper pursuit>. métier implies a calling or pursuit for which one believes oneself to be especially fitted <acting was my one and only métier>. business suggests activity in commerce or the management of money and affairs <the business of managing a hotel>. II. adjective Date: 14th century 1. used for work <a work elephant> 2. suitable or styled for wear while working <work clothes> 3. involving or engaged in work <a work gang> <work hours> III. verb (worked or wrought; working) Etymology: Middle English werken, worken, from Old English wyrcan; akin to Old English weorc Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. to bring to pass ; effect <work miracles> 2. a. to fashion or create a useful or desired product by expending labor or exertion on ; forge, shape <work flint into tools> b. to make or decorate with needlework; especially embroider 3. a. to prepare for use by stirring or kneading b. to bring into a desired form by a gradual process of cutting, hammering, scraping, pressing, or stretching <work cold steel> 4. to set or keep in motion, operation, or activity ; cause to operate or produce <a pump worked by hand> <work farmland> 5. to solve (a problem) by reasoning or calculation — often used with out 6. a. to cause to toil or labor <worked their horses nearly to death> b. to make use of ; exploit c. to control or guide the operation of <switches are worked from a central tower> 7. a. to carry on an operation or perform a job through, at, in, or along <the salespeople worked both sides of the street> <a sportscaster hired to work the game> b. to greet and talk with in a friendly way in order to ingratiate oneself or achieve a purpose <politicians working the crowd> <worked the room> 8. to pay for or achieve with labor or service <worked my way through college> <worked my way up in the company> 9. a. to get (oneself or an object) into or out of a condition or position by gradual stages b. contrive, arrange <we can work it so that you can take your vacation> 10. a. to practice trickery or cajolery on for some end <worked the management for a free ticket> b. excite, provoke <worked myself into a rage> intransitive verb 1. a. to exert oneself physically or mentally especially in sustained effort for a purpose or under compulsion or necessity b. to perform or carry through a task requiring sustained effort or continuous repeated operations <worked all day over a hot stove> c. to perform work or fulfill duties regularly for wages or salary <works in publishing> 2. to function or operate according to plan or design <hinges work better with oil> 3. to exert an influence or tendency 4. to produce a desired effect or result ; succeed <a plan that will work> 5. a. to make way slowly and with difficulty ; move or progress laboriously <worked up to the presidency> b. to sail to windward 6. to permit of being worked ; react in a specified way to being worked <this wood works easily> 7. a. to be in agitation or restless motion b. ferment 1 c. to move slightly in relation to another part d. to get into a specified condition by slow or imperceptible movements <the knot worked loose>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 the application of mental or physical effort to a purpose; the use of energy. 2 a a task to be undertaken. b the materials for this. c (prec. by the; foll. by of) a task occupying (no more than) a specified time (the work of a moment). 3 a thing done or made by work; the result of an action; an achievement; a thing made. 4 a person's employment or occupation etc., esp. as a means of earning income (looked for work; is out of work). 5 a a literary or musical composition. b (in pl.) all such by an author or composer etc. 6 actions or experiences of a specified kind (good work!; this is thirsty work). 7 a (in comb.) things or parts made of a specified material or with specified tools etc. (ironwork; needlework). b archaic needlework. 8 (in pl.) the operative part of a clock or machine. 9 Physics the exertion of force overcoming resistance or producing molecular change (convert heat into work). 10 (in pl.) colloq. all that is available; everything needed. 11 (in pl.) operations of building or repair (road works). 12 (in pl.; often treated as sing.) a place where manufacture is carried on. 13 (usu. in pl.) Theol. a meritorious act. 14 (usu. in pl. or in comb.) a defensive structure (earthworks). 15 (in comb.) a ornamentation of a specified kind (poker-work). b articles having this. --v. (past and past part. worked or (esp. as adj.) wrought) 1 intr. (often foll. by at, on) do work; be engaged in bodily or mental activity. 2 intr. a be employed in certain work (works in industry; works as a secretary). b (foll. by with) be the workmate of (a person). 3 intr. (often foll. by for) make efforts; conduct a campaign (works for peace). 4 intr. (foll. by in) be a craftsman (in a material). 5 intr. operate or function, esp. effectively (how does this machine work?; your idea will not work). 6 intr. (of a part of a machine) run, revolve; go through regular motions. 7 tr. carry on, manage, or control (cannot work the machine). 8 tr. a put or keep in operation or at work; cause to toil (this mine is no longer worked; works the staff very hard). b cultivate (land). 9 tr. bring about; produce as a result (worked miracles). 10 tr. knead, hammer; bring to a desired shape or consistency. 11 tr. do, or make by, needlework etc. 12 tr. & intr. (cause to) progress or penetrate, or make (one's way), gradually or with difficulty in a specified way (worked our way through the crowd; worked the peg into the hole). 13 intr. (foll. by loose etc.) gradually become (loose etc.) by constant movement. 14 tr. artificially excite (worked themselves into a rage). 15 tr. solve (a sum) by mathematics. 16 tr. a purchase with one's labour instead of money (work one's passage). b obtain by labour the money for (one's way through university etc.). 17 intr. (foll. by on, upon) have influence. 18 intr. be in motion or agitated; cause agitation, ferment (his features worked violently; the yeast began to work). 19 intr. Naut. sail against the wind. Phrases and idioms: at work in action or engaged in work. give a person the works 1 colloq. give or tell a person everything. 2 colloq. treat a person harshly. 3 sl. kill a person. have one's work cut out be faced with a hard task. set to work begin or cause to begin operations. work away (or on) continue to work. work-basket (or -bag etc.) a basket or bag etc. containing sewing materials. work camp a camp at which community work is done esp. by young volunteers. work one's fingers to the bone see BONE. work in find a place for. work it colloq. bring it about; achieve a desired result. work of art a fine picture, poem, or building etc. work off get rid of by work or activity. work out 1 solve (a sum) or find out (an amount) by calculation. 2 (foll. by at) be calculated (the total works out at 230). 3 give a definite result (this sum will not work out). 4 have a specified result (the plan worked out well). 5 provide for the details of (has worked out a scheme). 6 accomplish or attain with difficulty (work out one's salvation). 7 exhaust with work (the mine is worked out). 8 engage in physical exercise or training. work over 1 examine thoroughly. 2 colloq. treat with violence. works council esp. Brit. a group of employees representing those employed in a works etc. in discussions with their employers. work-shy disinclined to work. works of supererogation see SUPEREROGATION. work study a system of assessing methods of working so as to achieve the maximum output and efficiency. work table a table for working at, esp. with a sewing-machine. work to rule (esp. as a form of industrial action) follow official working rules exactly in order to reduce output and efficiency. work-to-rule the act or an instance of working to rule. work up 1 bring gradually to an efficient state. 2 (foll. by to) advance gradually to a climax. 3 elaborate or excite by degrees. 4 mingle (ingredients) into a whole. 5 learn (a subject) by study. work one's will (foll. by on, upon) archaic accomplish one's purpose on (a person or thing). work wonders see WONDER. Derivatives: workless adj. Etymology: OE weorc etc. f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Work Work, n. [OE. work, werk, weork, AS. weorc, worc; akin to OFries. werk, wirk, OS., D., & G. werk, OHG. werc, werah, Icel. & Sw. verk, Dan. v[ae]rk, Goth. gawa['u]rki, Gr. ?, ?, work, ? to do, ? an instrument, ? secret rites, Zend verez to work. ????. Cf. Bulwark, Energy, Erg, Georgic, Liturgy, Metallurgy, Organ, Surgeon, Wright.] 1. Exertion of strength or faculties; physical or intellectual effort directed to an end; industrial activity; toil; employment; sometimes, specifically, physically labor. Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed. --Milton. 2. The matter on which one is at work; that upon which one spends labor; material for working upon; subject of exertion; the thing occupying one; business; duty; as, to take up one's work; to drop one's work. Come on, Nerissa; I have work in hand That you yet know not of. --Shak. In every work that he began . . . he did it with all his heart, and prospered. --2 Chron. xxxi. 21. 3. That which is produced as the result of labor; anything accomplished by exertion or toil; product; performance; fabric; manufacture; in a more general sense, act, deed, service, effect, result, achievement, feat. To leave no rubs or blotches in the work. --Shak. The work some praise, And some the architect. --Milton. Fancy . . . Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams. --Milton. The composition or dissolution of mixed bodies . . . is the chief work of elements. --Sir K. Digby. 4. Specifically: (a) That which is produced by mental labor; a composition; a book; as, a work, or the works, of Addison. (b) Flowers, figures, or the like, wrought with the needle; embroidery. I am glad I have found this napkin; . . . I'll have the work ta'en out, And give 't Iago. --Shak. (c) pl. Structures in civil, military, or naval engineering, as docks, bridges, embankments, trenches, fortifications, and the like; also, the structures and grounds of a manufacturing establishment; as, iron works; locomotive works; gas works. (d) pl. The moving parts of a mechanism; as, the works of a watch. 5. Manner of working; management; treatment; as, unskillful work spoiled the effect. --Bp. Stillingfleet. 6. (Mech.) The causing of motion against a resisting force. The amount of work is proportioned to, and is measured by, the product of the force into the amount of motion along the direction of the force. See Conservation of energy, under Conservation, Unit of work, under Unit, also Foot pound, Horse power, Poundal, and Erg. Energy is the capacity of doing work . . . Work is the transference of energy from one system to another. --Clerk Maxwell. 7. (Mining) Ore before it is dressed. --Raymond. 8. pl. (Script.) Performance of moral duties; righteous conduct. He shall reward every man according to his works. --Matt. xvi. 27. Faith, if it hath not works, is dead. --James ii. 17. Muscular work (Physiol.), the work done by a muscle through the power of contraction. To go to work, to begin laboring; to commence operations; to contrive; to manage. ``I 'll go another way to work with him.'' --Shak. To set on work, to cause to begin laboring; to set to work. [Obs.] --Hooker. To set to work, to employ; to cause to engage in any business or labor.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Work Work, v. t. 1. To labor or operate upon; to give exertion and effort to; to prepare for use, or to utilize, by labor. He could have told them of two or three gold mines, and a silver mine, and given the reason why they forbare to work them at that time. --Sir W. Raleigh. 2. To produce or form by labor; to bring forth by exertion or toil; to accomplish; to originate; to effect; as, to work wood or iron into a form desired, or into a utensil; to work cotton or wool into cloth. Each herb he knew, that works or good or ill. --Harte. 3. To produce by slow degrees, or as if laboriously; to bring gradually into any state by action or motion. ``Sidelong he works his way.'' --Milton. So the pure, limpid stream, when foul with stains Of rushing torrents and descending rains, Works itself clear, and as it runs, refines, Till by degrees the floating mirror shines. --Addison. 4. To influence by acting upon; to prevail upon; to manage; to lead. ``Work your royal father to his ruin.'' --Philips. 5. To form with a needle and thread or yarn; especially, to embroider; as, to work muslin. 6. To set in motion or action; to direct the action of; to keep at work; to govern; to manage; as, to work a machine. Knowledge in building and working ships. --Arbuthnot. Now, Marcus, thy virtue's the proof; Put forth thy utmost strength, work every nerve. --Addison. The mariners all 'gan work the ropes, Where they were wont to do. --Coleridge. 7. To cause to ferment, as liquor. To work a passage (Naut.), to pay for a passage by doing work. To work double tides (Naut.), to perform the labor of three days in two; -- a phrase which alludes to a practice of working by the night tide as well as by the day. To work in, to insert, introduce, mingle, or interweave by labor or skill. To work into, to force, urge, or insinuate into; as, to work one's self into favor or confidence. To work off, to remove gradually, as by labor, or a gradual process; as, beer works off impurities in fermenting. To work out. (a) To effect by labor and exertion. ``Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.'' --Phil. ii. 12. (b) To erase; to efface. [R.] Tears of joy for your returning spilt, Work out and expiate our former guilt. --Dryden. (c) To solve, as a problem. (d) To exhaust, as a mine, by working. To work up. (a) To raise; to excite; to stir up; as, to work up the passions to rage. The sun, that rolls his chariot o'er their heads, Works up more fire and color in their cheeks. --Addison. (b) To expend in any work, as materials; as, they have worked up all the stock. (c) (Naut.) To make over or into something else, as yarns drawn from old rigging, made into spun yarn, foxes, sennit, and the like; also, to keep constantly at work upon needless matters, as a crew in order to punish them. --R. H. Dana, Jr.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Work Work, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Worked, or Wrought; p. pr. & vb. n. Working.] [AS. wyrcean (imp. worthe, wrohte, p. p. geworht, gewroht); akin to OFries. werka, wirka, OS. wirkian, D. werken, G. wirken, Icel. verka, yrkja, orka, Goth. wa['u]rkjan. [root]145. See Work, n.] 1. To exert one's self for a purpose; to put forth effort for the attainment of an object; to labor; to be engaged in the performance of a task, a duty, or the like. O thou good Kent, how shall I live and work, To match thy goodness? --Shak. Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you. --Ex. v. 18. Whether we work or play, or sleep or wake, Our life doth pass. --Sir J. Davies. 2. Hence, in a general sense, to operate; to act; to perform; as, a machine works well. We bend to that the working of the heart. --Shak. 3. Hence, figuratively, to be effective; to have effect or influence; to conduce. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. --Rom. viii. 28. This so wrought upon the child, that afterwards he desired to be taught. --Locke. She marveled how she could ever have been wrought upon to marry him. --Hawthorne. 4. To carry on business; to be engaged or employed customarily; to perform the part of a laborer; to labor; to toil. They that work in fine flax . . . shall be confounded. --Isa. xix. 9. 5. To be in a state of severe exertion, or as if in such a state; to be tossed or agitated; to move heavily; to strain; to labor; as, a ship works in a heavy sea. Confused with working sands and rolling waves. --Addison. 6. To make one's way slowly and with difficulty; to move or penetrate laboriously; to proceed with effort; -- with a following preposition, as down, out, into, up, through, and the like; as, scheme works out by degrees; to work into the earth. Till body up to spirit work, in bounds Proportioned to each kind. --Milton. 7. To ferment, as a liquid. The working of beer when the barm is put in. --Bacon. 8. To act or operate on the stomach and bowels, as a cathartic. Purges . . . work best, that is, cause the blood so to do, . . . in warm weather or in a warm room. --Grew.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Work Work, n. 1. (Cricket) Break; twist. [Cant] 2. (Mech.) The causing of motion against a resisting force, measured by the product of the force into the component of the motion resolved along the direction of the force. Energy is the capacity of doing work. . . . Work is the transference of energy from one system to another. --Clerk Maxwell. 3. (Mining) Ore before it is dressed.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(works, working, worked) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. People who work have a job, usually one which they are paid to do. Weiner works for the US Department of Transport... I started working in a recording studio... Where do you work?... He worked as a bricklayer's mate... I want to work, I don't want to be on welfare. VERB: V prep/adv, V prep/adv, V prep/adv, V as n, V 2. People who have work or who are in work have a job, usually one which they are paid to do. Fewer and fewer people are in work... I was out of work at the time... She'd have enough money to provide for her children until she could find work... N-UNCOUNT: oft in/out of N 3. When you work, you do the things that you are paid or required to do in your job. I can't talk to you right now–I'm working... He was working at his desk... Some firms expect the guards to work twelve hours a day. VERB: V, V, V n 4. Your work consists of the things you are paid or required to do in your job. We're supposed to be running a business here. I've got work to do... I used to take work home, but I don't do it any more... There have been days when I have finished work at 2pm. 5. When you work, you spend time and effort doing a task that needs to be done or trying to achieve something. Linda spends all her time working on the garden... The most important reason for coming to university is to work for a degree... The government expressed hope that all the sides will work towards a political solution. VERB: V prep, V prep, V prep • Work is also a noun. There was a lot of work to do on their house... We hadn't appreciated how much work was involved in organizing a wedding... N-UNCOUNT 6. Work is the place where you do your job. Many people travel to work by car... She told her friends at work that she was trying to lose weight. N-UNCOUNT: usu to/at N 7. Work is something which you produce as a result of an activity or as a result of doing your job. It can help to have an impartial third party look over your work... Tidiness in the workshop is really essential for producing good work... N-UNCOUNT: oft poss/adj N 8. A work is something such as a painting, book, or piece of music produced by an artist, writer, or composer. In my opinion, this is Rembrandt's greatest work... N-COUNT: usu with supp 9. If someone is working on a particular subject or question, they are studying or researching it. Professor Bonnet has been working for many years on molecules of this type. VERB: V on n • Work is also a noun. Their work shows that one-year-olds are much more likely to have allergies if either parent smokes. 10. If you work with a person or a group of people, you spend time and effort trying to help them in some way. She spent a period of time working with people dying of cancer... VERB: V with/among n • Work is also a noun. She became involved in social and relief work among the refugees. N-UNCOUNT: with supp, usu poss N, N with/among n 11. If a machine or piece of equipment works, it operates and performs a particular function. The pump doesn't work and we have no running water... VERB: V 12. If an idea, system, or way of doing something works, it is successful, effective, or satisfactory. 95 per cent of these diets do not work... A methodical approach works best. VERB: V, V adv 13. If a drug or medicine works, it produces a particular physical effect. I wake at 6am as the sleeping pill doesn't work for more than nine hours... The drug works by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. VERB: V, V prep/adv 14. If something works in your favour, it helps you in some way. If something works to your disadvantage, it causes problems for you in some way. One factor thought to have worked in his favour is his working class image... VERB: V prep 15. If something or someone works their magic or works their charms on a person, they have a powerful positive effect on them. Nevertheless, she is always optimistic about the possibilities and can work her charm on the disenchanted... VERB: V n on n 16. If your mind or brain is working, you are thinking about something or trying to solve a problem. My mind was working frantically, running over the events of the evening. VERB: V 17. If you work on an assumption or idea, you act as if it were true or base other ideas on it, until you have more information. We are working on the assumption that it was a gas explosion. VERB: V on n 18. If you work a particular area or type of place, you travel around that area or work in those places as part of your job, for example trying to sell something there. Brand has been working the clubs and the pubs since 1986, developing her comedy act... VERB: V n 19. If you work someone, you make them spend time and effort doing a particular activity or job. They're working me too hard. I'm too old for this... VERB: V n adv/prep 20. If someone, often a politician or entertainer, works a crowd, they create a good relationship with the people in the crowd and get their support or interest. The Prime Minister has an ability to work a crowd–some might even suggest it is a kind of charm... VERB: V n 21. When people work the land, they do all the tasks involved in growing crops. Farmers worked the fertile valleys. VERB: V n 22. When a mine is worked, minerals such as coal or gold are removed from it. The mines had first been worked in 1849, when gold was discovered in California... VERB: be V-ed 23. If you work a machine or piece of equipment, you use or control it. Many adults still depend on their children to work the video. = operate VERB: V n 24. If something works into a particular state or condition, it gradually moves so that it is in that state or condition. A screw had worked loose from my glasses. VERB: V adj 25. If you work a substance such as dough or clay, you keep pressing it to make it have a particular texture. Work the dough with the palm of your hand until it is very smooth... VERB: V n 26. If you work a material such as metal, leather, or stone, you cut, sew, or shape it in order to make something or to create a design. ...the machines needed to extract and work the raw stone. VERB: V n 27. If you work a part of your body, or if it works, you move it. Each position will work the muscles in a different way... Her mouth was working in her sleep. VERB: V n, V 28. A works is a place where something is manufactured or where an industrial process is carried out. Works is used to refer to one or to more than one of these places. The steel works could be seen for miles. N-COUNT-COLL: usu n N, N n 29. Works are activities such as digging the ground or building on a large scale. ...six years of disruptive building works, road construction and urban development. N-PLURAL: usu supp N 30. see also working 31. If someone is at work they are doing their job or are busy doing a particular activity. The salvage teams are already hard at work trying to deal with the spilled oil... Television cameras were invited in to film him at work. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR 32. If a force or process is at work, it is having a particular influence or effect. It is important to understand the powerful economic and social forces at work behind our own actions. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR 33. If you say that you will have your work cut out to do something, you mean that it will be a very difficult task. The new administration has its work cut out for it. Creating jobs in this kind of environment is not going to be easy... He will have his work cut out to get into the team. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR for n, PHR to-inf 34. If something is in the works, it has already been planned or begun. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use in the pipeline) He said there were dozens of economic plans in the works... PHRASE: usu n PHR, v-link PHR 35. You can use work to talk about how easily or quickly a particular task is done. For example, if a person or thing makes short work of doing something or makes light work of it, they do it quickly and easily. An aerosol spray will make short work of painting awkward objects... This horse made light work of the cross-country course... PHRASE: V inflects, PHR -ing/n 36. If you put someone to work or set them to work, you give them a job or task to do. By stimulating the economy, we're going to put people to work... Instead of sending them to prison, we have set them to work helping the lemon growers. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR prep, PHR -ing 37. If you get to work, go to work, or set to work on a job, task, or problem, you start doing it or dealing with it. He promised to get to work on the state's massive deficit... He returned to America where he set to work on a new novel. PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR on n 38. If you work your way somewhere, you move or progress there slowly, and with a lot of effort or work. Rescuers were still working their way towards the trapped men... Many personnel managers started as secretaries or personnel assistants and worked their way up. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR prep/adv 39. to throw a spanner in the works: see spanner

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Act, operate, be in action. 2. Labor, toil, moil, drudge, be or keep at work, be diligent, be industrious. 3. Move, perform, succeed, get on. 4. Strive, endeavor, aim, attempt, try, exert one's self. 5. Ferment, effervesce. 6. Heave, be tossed, be agitated. II. v. a. 1. Labor upon, operate upon. 2. Produce, originate, accomplish, effect, cause, engender, beget, lead to, bring about. 3. Keep at work, keep employed. 4. Exert, strain. 5. Embroider, broider, stitch, decorate with the needle. III. n. 1. Toil, labor (that fatigues), exertion, drudgery. 2. Occupation, employment, business. 3. Product (of labor), performance, production, fruit, achievement, deed, action, feat. 4. Fabric, structure, manufacture. 5. Composition, book, literary production. 6. Management, treatment.

Moby Thesaurus

Grand Guignol, Nachtmusik, Passion play, Tom show, abatis, absolute music, accomplish, accomplished fact, accomplishment, acetify, achieve, achievement, acidify, acidulate, act, acta, acting, action, activism, activities, activity, adaptation, admix, advance, advanced work, advantage, adventure, affair, affairs, affect, agency, air varie, aleatory, aleatory music, alkalify, alkalize, alloy, amalgamate, answer, antimasque, arch dam, arrangement, art, art object, article, artifact, assignment, attain, attempt, audience success, author, autograph, avail, backset, backstop, bag, balistraria, ballet, bamboo curtain, bank, banquette, bar, barbed-wire entanglement, barbican, barrage, barricade, barrier, bartizan, bastion, battlement, be busy, be effective, be employed, be equal to, be in action, be productive, be responsible for, be right, bear, bear-trap dam, beaver dam, befit, befitting, beget, behave, behavior, bemingle, bend, benefit, best seller, bias, blend, block out, blow, blubber, boil, boil over, bomb, book, boom, borate, bottom, bound book, brainchild, breakwater, breastwork, breed, bric-a-brac, brick wall, bring about, bring forth, bring into being, bring to effect, bring to fruition, bring to pass, broadcast drama, bubble, bubble over, bubble up, buffer, bulkhead, bulwark, burble, burden, burlesque show, business, busy, busywork, calling, carbonate, career, career building, careerism, carry on, carry on business, carry out, carry through, carve, casemate, cast, catalyze, cause, chamber music, chamber orchestra, char, charade, chare, charge, chemical, cheval-de-frise, child, chisel, chlorinate, chore, circumvallation, classic, clear up, cliff hanger, closet drama, coalesce, cofferdam, coinage, color, coloring book, combine, comedy drama, commerce, commingle, commission, commitment, commix, compass, compose, composition, compound, computer printout, conceive, concern, concernment, concoct, concoction, conduct, conglomerate, consummate, contract, contravallation, copy, counterscarp, coup, crack, craft, create, creation, creature, critical success, crowning achievement, cultivate, culture, curtain, cut, dam, daytime serial, deal, deal with, dealings, debug, decipher, decode, deed, defense, definitive work, delve, demibastion, descant, design, dialogue, dig, dike, direct, direction, dirty work, discharge, disentangle, dispatch, dispose, dispose of, distillation, ditch, divine, do, do business, do chars, do it, do the chores, do the job, do the trick, do with, document, documentary drama, doing, doings, donkeywork, dope, dope out, draft, drama, dramalogue, dramatic play, dramatic series, drawbridge, dress, drive, driving, drudge, drudgery, duodrama, duologue, duty, earthwork, edited version, effect, effectuate, effervesce, efform, effort, electrolyze, electronic music, embankment, employ, employment, emulsify, enact, enclosure, end product, end use, endeavor, engagement, engender, engineer, engrossment, entanglement, enterprise, epic theater, errand, escarp, escarpment, essay, essence, establish, etude, execute, execution, exercise, exert, exertion, experimental theater, explain, exploit, extract, extravaganza, fag, failure, fair copy, fait accompli, fallow, fashion, father, fathom, fatigue, feat, fence, ferment, fertilize, fetch, fiction, fieldwork, figure, figure out, fill the bill, final draft, find out, find the answer, find the solution, finished version, first draft, fish to fry, fit, fix, fizz, fizzle, flimsy, flop, folio, follow a trade, force, forge, form, formalize, fortalice, fortification, forward, found, frame, fruit, fulfill, function, functioning, fuse, game, gasser, gate, generate, gest, gestate, get, get by, get right, give birth to, give occasion to, give origin to, give rise to, giveaway, glacis, go, go around, gravity dam, great work, grind, groin, grotesque, guess, guess right, guggle, gurgle, hack it, hand, handicraft, handiwork, handle, handling, handwork, happening, hardback, harmonization, harrow, hash, have a job, have effect, have free play, have it, have play, hew, hiss, hit, hit it, hit show, hoe, hold, holograph, homework, homogenize, homopolymerize, hydrate, hydraulic-fill dam, hydrogenate, hydroxylate, immediate purpose, immingle, immix, improvisational drama, inaugurate, incidental music, incline, induce, industrialize, industry, influence, institute, instrumental music, integrate, interblend, interest, interlace, interlard, intermingle, intermix, interpret, intertwine, interweave, invention, iron curtain, isomerize, issue, jam, jetty, job, job of work, jumble, just do, juvenile, juvenile book, keep busy, keep up, kitsch, knead, knock off, knock out, labor, lay out, lead, leaping weir, legitimate drama, letter, levee, lick, lick into shape, lick of work, lifework, limp-cover book, line, line of business, line of work, list, literae scriptae, literary artefact, literary production, literature, logjam, lookout, loophole, lucubration, lunette, machicolation, magnum opus, make, make go, make out, make the grade, make use of, make-work, manage, management, maneuver, manipulate, manipulation, mantelet, manual labor, manufactory, manufacture, manuscript, masque, mass-produce, master, masterpiece, masterwork, matter, matters in hand, measure, meet, meet requirements, melodrama, merge, merlon, metier, militate, mill, milldam, mingle, mingle-mangle, minstrel show, mint, mintage, miracle, miracle play, mission, mix, mix up, moat, mobile, moil, mold, mole, monodrama, monologue, moonlight, morality, morality play, mound, move, movements, mulch, museum piece, music drama, musical revue, mystery, mystery play, new mintage, nitrate, nocturne, nonbook, nonfiction, not come amiss, notebook, novel, nude, number, obligation, occasion, occupation, odd job, office, offspring, old master, open the lock, opera, operancy, operate, operation, operational purpose, operations, oppress, opus, opuscule, opusculum, orchestration, original, originate, origination, outcome, outgrowth, outwork, overdrive, overproduce, overt act, overtask, overtax, overwork, oxidize, pageant, pains, palisade, panel show, pantomime, paper, paperback, parados, parapet, parchment, pass, pass muster, passage, pasticcio, pastiche, pastoral, pastoral drama, penscript, pepsinate, percolate, perform, perform on, performance, performing, perk, peroxidize, persuade, phosphatize, picture book, piece, piece of virtu, piece of work, piece of writing, pilot, plan, plant, play, playbook, playlet, plop, plow, plugging, plumb, ply, pocket book, poem, polish off, polymerize, portcullis, postern gate, practice, practice a profession, praxis, prayer book, predispose, printed matter, printout, problem play, proceed, proceeding, produce, product, production, profession, profit, program, program music, project, promote, prompt, proposition, prune, psalmbook, psalter, psych, psych out, psychodrama, publication, purpose, pursuit, put away, puzzle out, qualify, quiz show, racket, radio drama, rake, rampart, rat race, ravel, ravel out, ravelin, reach, react, reading matter, realize, recension, redan, redoubt, reduce, res gestae, resolve, responsibility, result, review, revue, ricercar, riddle, roadblock, rock-fill dam, role, rough out, roughcast, roughhew, run, running, sally port, satisfy, scarp, sconce, score, scramble, screed, scrip, script, scrive, scroll, sculpt, sculpture, scut work, seawall, second draft, see to, seethe, sensational play, serial, serve, serve the purpose, service, set, set afloat, set on foot, set up, set up shop, shape, show, shuffle, shutter dam, simmer, sire, sitcom, situation comedy, sketch, sketchbook, skit, slavery, slogging, soap, soap opera, soft-cover, soften up, solve, sonata, sonatina, songbook, sort out, spade, spadework, sparkle, specialization, specialty, spectacle, stabile, stage play, stage show, stamp, stand, stand up, standard work, statue, stay employed, steer, steering, step, still life, stint, stir up, stockade, stone wall, storybook, straight drama, strain, stretch, string orchestra, string quartet, strive, striving, stroke, stroke of work, study, stunt, suffice, suit the occasion, sulfate, sulfatize, sulfonate, suspense drama, sway, sweat, swing, syncretize, tableau, tableau vivant, tailor, take, take care of, take effect, take it, talk show, task, tax, teleplay, television drama, television play, tenaille, tend, the written word, theater of cruelty, theme and variations, thermoform, thin, thin out, thing, thing done, things to do, throw together, tick, till, till the soil, tinge, tiresome work, title, toil, tome, tone, toss together, total theater, tour de force, trade, trade book, transact business, transaction, transcript, transcription, travail, treadmill, trio, trouble, tug, turn, turn a hand, turn the trick, typescript, ultimate purpose, undertaking, undo, unlock, unravel, unriddle, unscramble, untangle, untwist, unweave, use, utilize, vallation, vallum, variation, variety show, vaudeville, vaudeville show, vehicle, venture, version, virtu, vocation, volume, volume-produce, walk, walk of life, wall, wear down, weed, weed out, weigh with, weir, wicket dam, wield, word-of-mouth success, work at, work for, work of art, work out, working, workings, works, writing