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 Production is still not back to full strength, and many below-the-line crew members have struggled to find work over the last year. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 3 Mar. 2024 Yet as many of these organizations have adapted to hybrid and fully remote work over the last few years, coaches are having to refine their approaches. Adrian Gostick, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Research and popular media on remote work over the past three years have identified obvious benefits (ditching the commute) and shortcomings (loss of mentoring or innovation) of working from home. Amy Edmondson, WIRED, 8 Jan. 2024 Research suggests that there’s no true benefit to choosing to work over choosing to get the appropriate amount of sleep. Andrew Deutscher, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Northrup sorted through paperwork; the licensees, used to getting worked over by the government, sat by patiently. Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 Some of the council members thanked SANDAG for its work over the past year to publicize the project and work with residents. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2024 Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami have been working over the past few years to incorporate bike trails and bike friendly lanes to accomodate all users of our roadways. Miami Staff, Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 Callahan’s work over five seasons with the Bengals speaks for itself. Kelsey Conway, The Enquirer, 24 Jan. 2024

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 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!