Main Entry: ¹work

Pronunciation: \ˈwərk\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English werk, work, from Old English werc, weorc; akin to Old High German werc work, Greek ergon, Avestan varəzem 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 sing or plural in constr : 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>

— at work 1 : engaged in working : busy; especially : engaged in one's regular occupation
2 : having effect : operating, functioning

— in the works : in process of preparation, development, or completion

— in work 1 : in process of being done
2 of a horse : in training

— out of work : without regular employment : jobless

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>.