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
Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
What Most Thrift Stores Can't Accept Large Appliances Refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, and other large appliances that are still in good working order are great to pass along, but thrift stores often don’t have space to keep these items for long stretches of time.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Jan. 2026
Phil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Capable of working 24/7, the humanoid robot can relieve human beings of mundane tasks.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for working
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Noun
During the School District of Philadelphia's annual State of the Schools address, Parker emphasized the need to move beyond the traditional academic calendar to better serve students and working families.
—Wakisha Bailey, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
What Most Thrift Stores Can't Accept Large Appliances Refrigerators, freezers, stoves, washers, dryers, and other large appliances that are still in good working order are great to pass along, but thrift stores often don’t have space to keep these items for long stretches of time.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
But a constant churn of financial maneuvers (spinning off Saks’ e-commerce, creating co-working spaces in underutilized stores, all while being highly leveraged) brought some benefit but never obviated the need to invest more in basics.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Capable of working 24/7, the humanoid robot can relieve human beings of mundane tasks.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
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 Jan. 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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