Copy Citation
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ1
c
: to exert oneself physically or mentally especially in sustained effort for a purpose or under compulsion or necessity
1
: activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something:
b
: a specific task, duty, function, or assignment often being a part or phase of some larger activity
c
: sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result
5
a
works plural
: structures in engineering (such as docks, bridges, or embankments) or mining (such as shafts or tunnels)
b
: a fortified structure (such as a fort, earthen barricade, or trench)
9
a
: 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
b
: energy expended by natural phenomena
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Verb
I started working when I was sixteen.
She works part-time at the restaurant.
She has always wanted to work in advertising.
She has to work two jobs to support her family.
She worked through lunch to get the report done.
I'm not working tomorrow—the boss gave me the day off.
He works about 60 hours a week.
The job requires that you work some nights and weekends.
She is used to working long hours.
She works the Northeast region of the state selling insurance.
Noun
She is trying to find work in publishing.
How long have you been looking for work?
He started work as a car salesman.
I know him through work.
She didn't come to work today.
He left work a few minutes ago.
She's not here right now. She's at work.
She went out with her friends from work.
Can you describe your work to the class?
A large part of the work is responding to e-mails.
Adjective
What does your work schedule look like this week?
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2022
Parts of Georgia and South Carolina could get 1 to 4 inches of rain as well, and the hurricane center said heavy rain will work its way up the Eastern Seaboard late Thursday into Friday.
Leigh Morgan, al, 8 Nov. 2022
Starting Monday, Foxconn is moving all its workers who can still work into three dormitory areas and limiting their movements between those dorms and factories, according to a post on its WeChat social-media account.
Tim Higgins, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2022
Heritage Ohio is the state administrator of local Main Street programs like Medina’s, which work to promote local businesses and preserve historic downtowns.
Alyssa Alfano, cleveland, 7 Nov. 2022
Justin Lindsey, who owns a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Kendall, Florida, is allowing employees to work the equivalent of a full 40-hour week in just three days, with four days off.
Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2022
Giese’s overwhelming community outreach and work to transform the raceway into a world-class facility is not to be overlooked.
Cole Cusumano, The Arizona Republic, 7 Nov. 2022
The controls work better here than in the open world because of how much more linear the levels are.
George Yang, Variety, 7 Nov. 2022
Members of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, a national network of crime survivors that work to create healing communities and shape public safety policy.
Lenore Anderson, ELLE, 7 Nov. 2022
Alexander Thompson, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Nov. 2022
The world mourned their princess, whose charity work continues to be remembered today.
Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Nov. 2022
But Tuesday night, Republicans lost control of several legislative chambers that would be required to make that ploy work.
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2022
Pilots working for Kenya’s national airline are set to resume work on Wednesday after a court ordered them to end their four-day strike.
Evelyne Musambi, ajc, 9 Nov. 2022
Studies have found that shorter work weeks don’t hamper productivity.
Amanda Pérez Pintado, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2022
The funds awarded are designed to be used wherever they are most needed, including programming, general operating costs or other work that supports an organization’s artistic mission.
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 Nov. 2022
All non-essential government employees are off work and most government offices are closed.
Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 9 Nov. 2022
My takeaway is that women that have done work on themselves very much see what that relationship was for me and have been very supportive.
Katcy Stephan, Variety, 9 Nov. 2022
Stephanie Dolgoff, Good Housekeeping, 9 Nov. 2022
All shifts at the building were cancelled, with employees receiving non-work pay.
William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 4 Oct. 2022
Of course, every generation of workers has had its anti-work philosophies and many managers and striving colleagues have always taken issue with them.
Kathryn Dill And Angela Yang, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2022
Sadly, lying flat, ghost quitting and anti-work trends show the discouragement and disconnection of young adults from the workplace and economy.
Jack Kelly, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022
The right approach to non-work time can help prevent burnout, improve health and generally make life more livable.
Chris Woolston, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2022
Recent research on building high-performing teams revealed that top teams are more likely to invest time discussing non-work matters with their colleagues (25% more).
Expert Panel®, Forbes, 25 July 2022
Even if your schedule isn’t flexible, working from an RV puts you that much closer to a pre-work hike, midday ride, or evening paddle.
Outside Online, 18 July 2022
In Severance, the employees of a technology company undergo a brain procedure that separates their non-work memories from their working life.
Emma Dibdin, Town & Country, 7 July 2022
See More
Verb
Ai, another member of the group, who asked to be identified by her first name to protect her privacy, said that the group helped her work through some long-lasting trauma and anxiety.
Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2022
Parts of Georgia and South Carolina could get 1 to 4 inches of rain as well, and the hurricane center said heavy rain will work its way up the Eastern Seaboard late Thursday into Friday.
Leigh Morgan, al, 8 Nov. 2022
Starting Monday, Foxconn is moving all its workers who can still work into three dormitory areas and limiting their movements between those dorms and factories, according to a post on its WeChat social-media account.
Tim Higgins, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2022
Heritage Ohio is the state administrator of local Main Street programs like Medina’s, which work to promote local businesses and preserve historic downtowns.
Alyssa Alfano, cleveland, 7 Nov. 2022
Justin Lindsey, who owns a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Kendall, Florida, is allowing employees to work the equivalent of a full 40-hour week in just three days, with four days off.
Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2022
Giese’s overwhelming community outreach and work to transform the raceway into a world-class facility is not to be overlooked.
Cole Cusumano, The Arizona Republic, 7 Nov. 2022
The controls work better here than in the open world because of how much more linear the levels are.
George Yang, Variety, 7 Nov. 2022
Members of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, a national network of crime survivors that work to create healing communities and shape public safety policy.
Lenore Anderson, ELLE, 7 Nov. 2022
Noun
Hassan, who cited her bipartisan work on infrastructure and the cost of prescription medications, had led in many polls by a modest but consistent margin until Bolduc narrowed the gap recently.
Alexander Thompson, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Nov. 2022
The world mourned their princess, whose charity work continues to be remembered today.
Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Nov. 2022
But Tuesday night, Republicans lost control of several legislative chambers that would be required to make that ploy work.
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2022
Pilots working for Kenya’s national airline are set to resume work on Wednesday after a court ordered them to end their four-day strike.
Evelyne Musambi, ajc, 9 Nov. 2022
Studies have found that shorter work weeks don’t hamper productivity.
Amanda Pérez Pintado, USA TODAY, 9 Nov. 2022
The funds awarded are designed to be used wherever they are most needed, including programming, general operating costs or other work that supports an organization’s artistic mission.
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 Nov. 2022
All non-essential government employees are off work and most government offices are closed.
Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 9 Nov. 2022
My takeaway is that women that have done work on themselves very much see what that relationship was for me and have been very supportive.
Katcy Stephan, Variety, 9 Nov. 2022
Adjective
Always agreeing to post-work cocktails or dinners can leave you (and your finances) stretched thin.
Stephanie Dolgoff, Good Housekeeping, 9 Nov. 2022
All shifts at the building were cancelled, with employees receiving non-work pay.
William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 4 Oct. 2022
Of course, every generation of workers has had its anti-work philosophies and many managers and striving colleagues have always taken issue with them.
Kathryn Dill And Angela Yang, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2022
Sadly, lying flat, ghost quitting and anti-work trends show the discouragement and disconnection of young adults from the workplace and economy.
Jack Kelly, Forbes, 4 Aug. 2022
The right approach to non-work time can help prevent burnout, improve health and generally make life more livable.
Chris Woolston, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2022
Recent research on building high-performing teams revealed that top teams are more likely to invest time discussing non-work matters with their colleagues (25% more).
Expert Panel®, Forbes, 25 July 2022
Even if your schedule isn’t flexible, working from an RV puts you that much closer to a pre-work hike, midday ride, or evening paddle.
Outside Online, 18 July 2022
In Severance, the employees of a technology company undergo a brain procedure that separates their non-work memories from their working life.
Emma Dibdin, Town & Country, 7 July 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'work.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English werken, worken, from Old English wyrcan; akin to Old English weorc
Noun
Middle English werk, work, from Old English werc, weorc; akin to Old High German werc work, Greek ergon, Avestan varəzem activity
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of work was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing work
Dictionary Entries Near work
Cite this Entry
“Work.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/work. Accessed 18 Nov. 2022.
Kids Definition
More from Merriam-Webster on work
Nglish: Translation of work for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of work for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about work
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
-
- Namesake of the leotard, Jules Léotard had what profession?
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
What Did You Just Call Me?
See if you can tell the insults from the complime...
Take the quiz
-
Challenging SAT Words
20 questions to help you score 1600
Take the quiz
-
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
Take the quiz
-
Spelling Bee Quiz
Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...
Take the quiz
Share