work 1 of 2

Definition of worknext
1
2
3
as in to serve
to have a certain purpose the human kidneys work as a filtering system for the blood

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
as in to perform
to produce a desired effect this headache remedy takes half an hour to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5
6
as in to operate
to control the mechanical operation of show me how to work the machine

Synonyms & Similar Words

7
8

work

2 of 2

noun

1
as in composition
a literary, musical, or artistic production unfortunately, many of her works are now out of print

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
4
5
6
as in factory
works plural a building or set of buildings for the manufacturing of goods a glass works where high quality glassware is made

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun work contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of work are drudgery, grind, labor, toil, and travail. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

In what contexts can drudgery take the place of work?

The meanings of drudgery and work largely overlap; however, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than work?

The synonyms grind and work are sometimes interchangeable, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When could labor be used to replace work?

The words labor and work are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When is toil a more appropriate choice than work?

The words toil and work can be used in similar contexts, but toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When is it sensible to use travail instead of work?

Although the words travail and work have much in common, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of work
Verb
That’s an issue because most of those accounts are older, legacy email accounts that have been working seamlessly for years. Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026 He was laid off just before the pandemic and hasn’t worked steadily since then. R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
The production decline has left many in Hollywood without work for months or even years. Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026 But in his eyes, AI will most likely create more—not less—work. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 20 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for work
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work
Verb
  • That’s just caused a little distance.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Can severe weather really cause exploding trees?
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • At the same time, the problems that researchers are attempting to solve are thornier and more challenging than ever.
    CBS News, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Scientists may have solved a cosmic mystery that has been troubling them since the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) began observations back in 2022.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Robert Gleason, lead of parent advisory at the Rady Gender Clinic, noted that San Diego’s only medical center dedicated to serving children and adolescents created the resource only a decade ago and only after many years of advocacy from families.
    Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Jan. 2026
  • Our demand for power is vast, not least because of the enormous appetite of LLMs served by massive data centers.
    John Werner, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The shipyard team will also perform underwater hull preservation work, upgrade onboard ship systems, and refurbish the living spaces for the ship’s 41 crewmembers.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Jan. 2026
  • The Recording Academy on Tuesday announced that two-time Grammy winner Sabrina Carpenter will perform on awards night.
    Malia Mendez, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Violent confrontations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota are being driven by outside actors exploiting chaos, not organic protest, according to a protest insider warning that the situation is rapidly spiraling.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The driver then drove into the city of Wheat Ridge and allegedly crashed into a Honda Pilot near Pierce Street and West 32nd Avenue several minutes later before continuing on.
    Austen Erblat, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The indictment claims that the sheriff and two of his employees operated Disinfect Pro Master, which received a $500,000 contract to disinfect the buildings of a local school district.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026
  • After the profile was published, a local investor reached out to the bakery owner, moved by the story, and helped cover the bakery’s debt so the business could continue operating.
    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Multiple royal watchers have claimed the prince has struggled to move beyond the fallout of his dramatic exit from royal life six years ago, citing professional setbacks and lingering personal tensions.
    Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
  • The congressman says one of his top priorities is passing a new farm bill, which has been tied up in Congress and could provide some relief to local farmers struggling with declining profits.
    James Taylor, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Declined to apply for a state grant of up to $400,000 to test the use of the drug buprenorphine to combat opioid use disorder.
    Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Likely hundreds of millions of devices, even when using more balanced market share metrics.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

Cite this Entry

“Work.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on work

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!