worked out

verb

past tense of work out
1
as in solved
to find an answer for through reasoning by putting our heads together, we were able to work out the problem

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2
as in developed
to produce or bring about especially by long or repeated effort worked out a compromise between the warring factions

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in succeeded
to turn out as planned or desired our plans for a ski vacation just didn't work out

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in calculated
to determine (a value) by doing the necessary mathematical operations after working out the cost of a college education, we've decided that it's never too early to start saving

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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 worked out How those standards would impact the Group of 6 conferences (the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 and Sun Belt) still needs to be worked out. — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 This is still being worked out in courts as players battle for a fifth year of college eligibility. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Kemeny said Bast had worked out an interface to get the rotating laser beams, microscopes, cameras, and myriad other components of the experiment to coordinate through a common interface. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026 Although things worked out, the episode was yet another stark reminder of how exposed his business—and the broader college-athlete placement industry—has become to forces well beyond its control. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Cameramen raced around hectically setting up lights and checking shots as choreographers ran through fight sequences and a prop team worked out how to hoist a net that would later restrain a hostage. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026 Donald worked out at Loyola Marymount when the Rams were in training camp, and last week at the Rams facility in Woodland Hills. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Kodai Senga worked out of a two-out, two-on jam in the ninth, striking out Abimelec Ortiz to record his second save. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 White Sox reliever Grant Taylor, who got the final out of the sixth, worked out of a jam in the seventh by striking out Durbin to leave runners on the corners. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked out
  1. solved
  2. developed
  3. succeeded
  4. calculated
  5. answered
  6. forged
  7. went
  8. figured
Verb
  • The 76ers have a lot to work on and a lot to work out, and none of it will be solved overnight.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But, for the moment, the rest of the code has yet to be solved.
    — Ian Frazier, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of solved
Verb
  • The Virginia case has reached discovery, allowing the challengers to seek documents and information about how the program was developed.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Electron diffraction provided another way to monitor the crystal structures as defects developed.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of developed
Verb
  • But Musk, for the most part, succeeded in hushing up the lawsuits, the federal investigations, and the fatal crashes, which were evidence of a recklessness that should have given the whole world pause.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Using geometric methods, Theaetetus, a mathematician and a contemporary of Plato, succeeded in proving that there are no more than five of these highly symmetrical bodies.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of succeeded
Verb
  • The exact reason is still unclear, but Kostrna’s team suspects the issue may stem from how each device’s algorithms are calculated.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But as temperatures calculated by the device rise, different protocols are enacted, such as removing shoulder pads, increasing length of breaks or canceling conditioning.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of calculated
Verb
  • Even after California erased a 14-point lead in Week 1, UCLA answered with 21 unanswered points to complete a 45-24 drubbing.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • For Dungarpur, the restoration answered a demand that had been building for years.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of answered
Verb
  • The look was one of many red carpet moments between the designer and actress who’s forged a bond over big dreams, fantasy and an enduring childlike wonder that continues to inform their work.
    — Kathy Lee, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Like many others in Kyiv, the couple decided the attacks would not derail their lives and forged ahead with the ceremony.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of forged
Verb
  • Even the odd chance to counter-attack went badly wrong — summed up by the sight of Ouattara almost knocking over team-mate Mikkel Damsgaard with a wayward pass.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • After that, Brown went silent, not answering any of Redding’s phone calls or text messages.
    — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of went
Verb
  • About a month after Ewing was called up, the Philadelphia Phillies figured him out.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • August Chesner, a Lowell High School senior and marching band member, figured his tuba weighs about 20 pounds.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of figured

Browse Nearby Words

worked (on)
worked out
worked over
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Cite this Entry

“Worked out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20out. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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