Synonyms of work
1
as in to cause
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind)
this new drug can really work wonders
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Relevance
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2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning
finally figured out how to work the math problem
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3
4
5
as in to drive
to set or keep in motion
this pump is worked by hand
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6
7
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
the organization has worked for years to raise people's awareness of human rights issues
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8
as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
a young boy who worked his aunt for all she was worth in toys and candy when she visited once a year
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1
as in composition
a literary, musical, or artistic production
unfortunately, many of her works are now out of print
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2
as in production
something produced by physical or intellectual effort
the new Web application is the work of a pair of young but highly gifted programmers
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3
as in job
the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists
the work of a movie director is to tell a story through a series of striking images
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4
as in effort
the active use of energy in producing a result
put a lot of work into the project
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5
as in profession
the activity by which one regularly makes a living
what line of work are you in?
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of work
Paul Ridden
june 24, New Atlas, 24 June 2025
But without the compliance of countries that manufacture such things, including Japan and the Netherlands, U.S. restrictions won’t work.
—Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Asha Bandele, Essence, 25 June 2025
If this were the 1990s, remote and hybrid work would be impossible.
—Scott Francis, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for work
Verb
View gallery - 6 images For the last few years, Italian engineers have been working on a humanoid robot for emergency response applications.
—Paul Ridden
june 24, New Atlas, 24 June 2025
But without the compliance of countries that manufacture such things, including Japan and the Netherlands, U.S. restrictions won’t work.
—Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Noun
Our healing, life-changing work would not have been possible without the wisdom of our 60-plus-person Braintrust.
—Asha Bandele, Essence, 25 June 2025
If this were the 1990s, remote and hybrid work would be impossible.
—Scott Francis, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for work
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work
Verb
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The system works by stopping micro-inflammation, which disrupts the hair’s growth cycle, stopping new growth in its tracks and is easily caused by hormones, stress and genetic disposition.—
Angelina Villa-Clarke,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
After a sit-down interview with Bobbie Thomas, Harlow was surprised by Jenna Bush Hager with video messages from three women with vitiligo, an autoimmune condition that causes patches of skin to lose pigment.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Concerns about student overuse and misuse are still prevalent: About half of teachers worry that student use of AI will decrease teens’ ability to think critically and independently or to have persistence when problem solving, according to the study.—
Jocelyn Gecker,
Fortune,
25 June 2025
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Honor solves this problem by integrating advanced artificial intelligence (AI) directly into its operations.—
Glenn Llopis,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Located outside Doha, Qatar, the base serves as the forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and houses approximately 10,000 troops.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
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County officials are opening up several police department station lobbies and community rooms to serve as cooling centers.—
Irit Skulnik,
Baltimore Sun,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Most American metropolises perform well in the report’s measure of disposable income, particularly San Francisco (No. 3), Boston (No. 7), and Chicago (No. 8).—
Greg McKenna,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
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The English singer is also set to perform at the festival Saturday evening.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
27 June 2025
Verb
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The narrative twist: the story is driven not by the characters themselves but by eight distinct emotions in their minds — comedic, romantic, bizarre, and rational.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
19 June 2025
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Alvarez has been pleased with his pitch recognition, which has helped drive his walk rate and on-base percentage to career bests.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Verb
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His influence on Chelsea’s sequences of possession is almost entirely focused on the left ‘pocket’ or half-space, operating alongside Cole Palmer as one of two advanced creators in a ‘box’ midfield.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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This lack of real-time integration gives insider threats the space to operate undetected, eroding an enterprise’s ability to respond effectively.—
Muhi S. Majzoub,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
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On offense, the Red Sox have predictably struggled without Devers’ bat in the lineup.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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If the mention of Luxembourg conjures visions of banks, European institutions and a vague whiff of royalty, most people struggle to place the tiny country on a map.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Athit Perawongmetha | Reuters China is devising more ways for foreign institutions to use the yuan, as international confidence in the U.S. dollar falters.—
Lee Ying Shan,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
25 June 2025
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Allies may choose to avoid acquiring U.S.-made weaponry for fear that Washington or an American company might deny them permission to use it in a crisis—just as Musk denied Ukraine the ability to use his Starlink communications network to carry out an attack on Russian forces in Crimea in 2022.—
KORI SCHAKE,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Work.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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