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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Maybe that worked out for the better because the sanitizer measured a soupy 500 parts per million. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026 Joining the Chiefs’ practice squad According to McDowell, the Chiefs also worked out kickers Ben Sauls and Harrison Mevis this week before ultimately deciding to sign Tucker. — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 28 Oct. 2026 Tucker worked out for the Jets before this season but did not sign with them. — CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 Boise plans to work with the health district to enact the plan, according to city spokesperson Maria Ortega, though specifics are still being worked out. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 21 Oct. 2026 That would have worked out fine when Fochesato tried redeeming his Timeless Ticket for a potential World Series game in 2018, when the Brewers reached the NL Championship Series. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 Obviously, the whole music thing worked out for the Hot 100-topping, Grammy- and Tony-winning singer-songwriter who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025. — Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026 But my rogue, DIY, quick-start method hasn’t always worked out in my favor. — Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 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
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 crows solved the task the same way primates do, using the same mathematical logic despite having a very different brain structure.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • So there’s a huge amount of that which was solved with lots of different trickery, and then some VFX.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of solved
Verb
  • It’s developed by GuangYu Industrial, an engineering conglomerate based in Shenzhen, with over three decades of precision manufacturing expertise.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Nov. 2026
  • SpaceX developed Starshield specifically for government and national security customers.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of developed
Verb
  • The bow, preserved by Janaka’s royal dynasty, is so unyielding that no suitor has yet succeeded in stringing it.
    — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • What was originally designed as an experiment has succeeded and transformed the land into a birding destination featuring more than 220 bird species and 63 butterfly species.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of succeeded
Verb
  • The authors calculated that for every 114 newborns who do not receive a vitamin K shot ⁠at birth, one ​additional bleeding event would occur.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Matthias Schweighöfer has this precision and control that makes the German production feel sharp and calculated.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of calculated
Verb
  • The Bears answered with another TD drive and put the game away after Darnold's interception.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Back to base camp The Knicks are 2-4, and two of their starters answered the same chemistry question on opposite sides of the spectrum.
    — Kyle Wagner, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of answered
Verb
  • Microsoft has forged relationships in recent years with a number of neoclouds, including CoreWeave, Nebius, Chronoscale, IREN, Lambda and Nscale, as well as with Oracle, which is pouring money into building out AI infrastructure.
    — Jordan Novet,Seema Mody, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Read ten books recommended by living people whose taste and intelligence are hard won and wholly singular, forged in the crucible of their idiosyncratic minds.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of forged
Verb
  • The company generated $70 billion in free cash flow in the first half of this year, while AMD totaled just over $4 billion and Google parent Alphabet went cash flow negative in the second quarter to fund its buildout.
    — Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Napoli went ahead again in the 83rd minute thanks to a second from McTominay — who also scored twice in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of went
Verb
  • She’s figured centrally in the government’s efforts to find and prosecute noncitizen voters.
    — Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 28 Oct. 2026
  • At the beginning of Fatherland, no one—not even the aged Mann, played here in a quietly extraordinary performance by Hanns Zischler—has figured that out.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of figured

Browse Nearby Words

worked (on)
worked out
worked over
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Worked out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20out. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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