workforce

noun

work·​force ˈwərk-ˌfȯrs 

1

: the workers engaged in a specific activity or enterprise

the factory's workforce

2

: the number of workers potentially assignable for any purpose

the nation's workforce

Synonyms of workforce

• staff
• manpower
• personnel
• pool

Examples of workforce in a Sentence

We have a workforce of 2,400 people.

the office's entire workforce is devoted to a single project right now

Recent Examples on the Web

At this point, the majority of the agricultural workforce in some communities in the Mississippi Delta appears to be South African. —Boyce Upholt, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026

Analysts estimate that the SSA will no longer be able to issue full payments as early as 2034, due to a rising number of retirees and a shrinking workforce. —Asher Notheis, The Washington Examiner, 14 Mar. 2026

In any case, today’s entering workforce, Generation Z, seems less likely to fall for those enticements than past workers starting their careers. —Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 14 Mar. 2026

By the end of 2025 the CDC had lost roughly a quarter of its workforce, a KFF Health News analysis found. —Jess Mador, NPR, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for workforce

• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce
• indorse
• midcourse
• outsource
• perforce
• racecourse
• racehorse
• remorse
• seahorse

Kids Definition

workforce

noun

work·​force ˈwərk-ˌfō(ə)rs 

-ˌfȯ(ə)rs

: the workers of a specific activity or business

the factory's workforce