1
: the manner of functioning or operating : operation
—usually used in plural
the inner workings of the government
2
: an excavation or group of excavations made in mining, quarrying, or tunneling
—usually used in plural
1
: engaged in work especially for wages or a salary
a working journalist
a working mother
2
: adequate to permit work to be done
a working majority
3
: assumed or adopted to permit or facilitate further work or activity
a working draft
4
: spent at work
working life
5
: being in use or operation
a working farm
Examples of working in a Sentence
Noun
an article about the byzantine workings of the auction business for high-end art
Adjective
There is a good working relationship between the departments.
the working parts of the machine
Recent Examples on the Web
Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 3 Feb. 2026
As for the 7pm (GMT) deadline, this is to avoid the previous cases of deals being done well into the night — in some cases, the early hours of the following morning, providing club staff working across transfer departments with a more normal working pattern.
—Leon Imber, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Abdulla Belhoul, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Basically, our government helped the rich get richer while working families got screwed.
—Ana María Archila, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for working
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Noun
More than 36% of participants are in families with disabled or elderly adults, and more than 45% are in working families.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 3 Feb. 2026
As for the 7pm (GMT) deadline, this is to avoid the previous cases of deals being done well into the night — in some cases, the early hours of the following morning, providing club staff working across transfer departments with a more normal working pattern.
—Leon Imber, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
From Dubai’s leading start-up incubator in5 to the flexible co-working spaces offered through D/Quarters, our business services empower our customers to facilitate knowledge-sharing and collective problem-solving.
—Abdulla Belhoul, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Basically, our government helped the rich get richer while working families got screwed.
—Ana María Archila, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for working
Cite this Entry
“Working.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/working. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
working
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: doing work especially for a living
working people
b
: being in an operating state
a working model
2
: good enough to allow work to be done
a working majority
a working arrangement
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