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.

Synonyms of work over

• lick
• hide
• pound
• lash
• do
• hit
• punch out
• beat
• whip
• attack
• knock
• assault
• pelt
• batter
• slap
• punch
• thump
• bat
• beat up on

Examples of work over in a Sentence

the mob boss's thugs really worked him over

Recent Examples on the Web

On Wednesday, the judge said that Sidhu had been given speeding penalties before the crash and had been working over 26 hours, with 16 of them being behind the wheel, per CBC. —Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026

Navigating the complexities of building around Dončić while still honoring what worked over the past season won’t be easy. —Dan Woike, New York Times, 12 May 2026

Its line-of-sight communication works over 50 miles, and satellite links can extend this for longer-range operations. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 May 2026

Employees reportedly haven’t been told not to come to work over the weekend. —Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for work over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover