work over

verb

worked over; working over; works over

transitive verb

1
: to subject to thorough examination, study, or treatment
shelf stock worked over by shoppers
2
: to do over : rework
saved the play by working the first act over
3
: to beat up or manhandle with thoroughness
My boxing opponent worked me over in the ring.

Examples of work over in a Sentence

the mob boss's thugs really worked him over
Recent Examples on the Web The lack of interruptions typically associated with office environments can result in significant productivity gains, as seen in a study evaluating the research productivity of Federal Reserve Board economists, which surged by 25% during remote work over the course of the pandemic. Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2023 But that offense is going to get worked over by Wink Martindale’s defense, and New York cruises. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Bulldozers worked over the past two days to fix and clear roads to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and heavy equipment. Samy Magdy and Yousef Murad, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2023 In addition to its immediate effects, the eye cream also works over time to brighten dark circles and improve skin radiance with its inclusion of synergistic peptides and antioxidant-rich blueberry extract. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 4 Nov. 2023 Still, the researchers expected this confinement strategy would not work over relatively long distances. IEEE Spectrum, 24 Oct. 2023 They are additionally set to provide financial bonuses to local promoters and tour representatives who help execute shows, as well as venue crew members who have worked over 500 hours in 2023. Jem Aswad, Variety, 27 Sep. 2023 House and Senate negotiators worked over the weekend to reconcile their differences and passed identical bills on Sunday. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 25 Sep. 2023 Among those that do have resources, some have tried to hire out these roles to independent contractors, but this doesn’t work over the long run. Alexander Lopez, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'work over.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of work over was in 1832

Dictionary Entries Near work over

Cite this Entry

“Work over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/work%20over. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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