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 But this worked out — the Chiefs got closer to their mission. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026 Kevin Mannix worked out of the San Francisco Police Department’s Taraval Station for 27 years before retiring, according to the association in June 2018. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 Many players who were banged up in Sunday’s game were limited or simply worked out on the side of drills. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026 The defense, when all was said and done, worked out fine Sunday, though. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026 The Dolphins opted to sign none of the four backs who worked out for them on Tuesday -- former Canes standout Damien Martinez, former Titans fourth-rounder Hassan Haskins, Davie University School alum Kenny McIntosh and rookie Elija-Tau Tolliver. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026 But Finebaum's right that, whatever the reason, the Riley era in LA hasn't worked out the way many expected. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 The Jets released quarterback Bailey Zappe from the practice squad to make room for Levis, who worked out for the team earlier this month. — Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026 There were pros and cons to how these engagements worked out. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 Sep. 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 company said its problems would not be solved by chasing unhealthy sales volume or short-term revenue.
    — Ryan Baker, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Like Zuckerberg, Huang has argued against an industry-wide slowdown, saying the recent spike in safety concerns sparked by AI agents going rogue and hacking into other companies is just an engineering problem that needs to be solved.
    — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of solved
Verb
  • This individual asset is often referred to as zest, and it can be purposefully developed to assist us in managing daily stressors as well as creating meaningful lives.
    — Joan M. Cook, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The Rockefeller Foundation has just published a policy proposal – developed in partnership with leading experts – that details how a Growth and Investment Reset could work.
    — Masood Ahmed, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of developed
Verb
  • The shallow cultural footprint of these titles, at least two of which succeeded critically and/or financially, testifies to comedy’s waning as a cinematic form.
    — Dan Brooks, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Washington has fought back hard against this effort, and has recently succeeded at helping tankers pass through the chokepoint.
    — Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of succeeded
Verb
  • Comparing households aged 72 and older in 2022 with those aged 75 and older in 2025, Maggiulli calculated a smaller—but still substantial—21% increase.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
  • It is calculated as a weighted average of atomic clocks worldwide and is communicated by BIPM, the official source for UTC.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of calculated
Verb
  • The question is more easily answered by Percherette than by even the most attentive Austen characters.
    — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Department officials said that calls will still be answered by human operators and not bots.
    — Jakob McWhinney, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of answered
Verb
  • That a self-image forged in the crucible of the fear of being ugly makes women amputate their talents?
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • France Télévisions has forged a major partnership with YouTube, where its franceinfo news channel generated 110 million views in September, eight times its audience a year earlier.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of forged
Verb
  • Jaguar once went head-to-head with competitors like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, making splashy appearances in James Bond films.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Moya went from doubting her ability to handle full-time work to thriving on it.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of went
Verb
  • Eventually, Universal figured the field in supporting was open enough to allow both contenders to co-exist.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Las Vegas Raiders showed all the signs of a franchise that had, at long last, figured it out.
    — Pete Sweeney October 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 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 17 Oct. 2026.

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