Synonyms of works

works 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of work

1

as in causes

to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind)

this new drug can really work wonders

Synonyms & Similar Words

• causes
• creates
• brings
• does
• generates
• prompts
• produces
• spawns
• yields
• invokes
• makes
• effects
• induces
• draws on
• brings about
• occasions
• translates (into)
• catalyzes
• brings on
• gives rise to
• brings forth
• begets
• results (in)
• engenders
• breeds
• effectuates
• encourages
• promotes
• introduces
• contributes (to)
• founds
• develops
• determines
• begins
• initiates
• launches
• establishes
• decides
• institutes
• starts
• fathers
• inaugurates
• sets up
• renders
• conduces (to)
• fosters
• cultivates
• enacts
• furthers
• turns out
• sets
• innovates
• nourishes
• advances
• pioneers
• nurtures
• forwards

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• limits
• restricts
• impedes
• controls
• suppresses
• checks
• inhibits
• represses
• reins (in)
• squashes
• crushes
• puts down
• arrests
• subdues
• dampens
• curbs
• smothers
• stifles
• restrains
• retards
• kills
• destroys
• cans
• stills
• quells
• squelches
• cracks down (on)
• clamps down (on)
• abolishes
• quashes
• extinguishes
• liquidates
• demolishes
• quenches
• snuffs (out)

2

as in solves

to find an answer for through reasoning

finally figured out how to work the math problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

• solves
• unravels
• answers
• resolves
• works out
• figures out
• riddles (out)
• puzzles (out)
• cracks
• concludes
• deciphers
• decides
• breaks
• unriddles
• gathers
• judges
• reasons
• infers
• deduces
• dopes (out)
• assumes
• presumes
• speculates
• straightens (out)
• guesses
• clears (up)
• unties
• irons out
• divines
• conjectures
• unscrambles
• decodes
• untangles

3

as in serves

to have a certain purpose

the human kidneys work as a filtering system for the blood

Synonyms & Similar Words

• serves
• acts
• functions
• performs
• operates
• runs
• guides
• manages
• controls
• handles
• regulates
• directs
• administers
• supervises
• oversees
• carries on

4

as in operates

to produce a desired effect

this headache remedy takes half an hour to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

• operates
• performs
• takes
• acts
• reacts
• responds
• results
• takes effect
• behaves
• affects
• takes hold
• influences
• sways
• redounds
• pans out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• backfires
• fizzles

5

as in moves

to set or keep in motion

this pump is worked by hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• moves
• drives
• activates
• propels
• actuates
• stimulates
• impels
• triggers
• motivates
• provokes
• raises
• sets off
• ferments
• trips
• inspires
• incites
• stirs (up)
• whips (up)
• excites
• abets
• arouses
• fires (up)
• foments
• rouses
• galvanizes
• instigates
• inflames

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• contains
• controls
• regulates
• checks
• inhibits
• reins (in)
• constrains
• curbs
• restrains
• bridles

6

as in uses

to control the mechanical operation of

show me how to work the machine

Synonyms & Similar Words

• operates
• uses
• handles
• runs
• drives
• manipulates
• maneuvers
• controls
• wields
• guides
• directs
• steers
• pilots
• plies
• commands

7

as in struggles

to devote serious and sustained effort

the organization has worked for years to raise people's awareness of human rights issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

• struggles
• strives
• labors
• endeavors
• tries
• tugs
• slaves
• plows
• toils
• hustles
• digs (away)
• sweats
• pegs (away)
• plugs
• humps
• travails
• bangs away
• plods
• grubs
• sweats blood
• fags
• strains
• slogs
• drudges
• moils
• applies (oneself)
• exercises
• beavers (away)
• buckles (down)
• drives
• attacks
• exerts
• knuckles down
• hammers (away)
• pitches in
• essays
• digs in
• grinds (out)
• ekes out
• overworks
• scratches
• overexerts
• wades
• puts out
• trudges
• scrabbles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breaks
• slackens
• eases (up)
• lets up
• hangs (around or out)
• slacks (off)
• rests
• idles
• plays
• shirks
• goofs (off)
• goldbricks
• loafs
• bums
• lounges
• lazes
• dallies
• chills
• reposes
• dillydallies
• hacks (around)
• unwinds
• relaxes
• hangs
• basks
• lolls
• dabbles
• footles
• fribbles
• fools around
• vegges out
• hangs about
• messes around
• doodles
• goofs (around)
• trifles
• putters (around)
• potters (around)
• monkeys (around)

8

as in exploits

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• uses
• exploits
• leverages
• abuses
• plays (on or upon)
• manipulates
• imposes (on or upon)
• walks on
• capitalizes (on)
• milks
• trades on
• cashes in (on)
• pimps
• mistreats
• cheats
• commodifies
• jerks around
• sticks
• overcharges
• commercializes
• soaks
• bleeds
• skins
• fleeces

works

2 of 2

noun

plural of work

as in factory

a building or set of buildings for the manufacturing of goods

a glass works where high quality glassware is made

Synonyms & Similar Words

• factory
• mill
• plant
• shop
• workshop
• manufactory
• studio
• workplace
• sweatshop
• atelier
• workroom
• yard

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of works

Verb

The Government Accountability Office has highlighted these challenges as the Air Force works toward replacing its aging ICBM fleet. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026

The Democrat is running for Precinct 2 commissioner to create a government that works for everyday people, prioritizing lowering the cost of living, delivering excellent county services and protecting fundamental rights. — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026

Barrera defended the overall quality of public schools and advocated for expanding what works from successful campuses to those with poorer academic results. — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Shanahan, from Joliet and a married mother of three, works as a grassroots engagement director for the policy advocacy group Americans for Prosperity. — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026

Still, what works best for us as a family is to share rather than purchase vehicles specifically for our teens. — Melissa Willets, Parents, 4 Nov. 2026

That works just fine for this season’s noble arc, but that same polish that’s arguably warranted now does little to suggest future seasons will be willing to wrestle with whatever truth may exist in Cash’s warning. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2026

Divine works as an information technology administrator for a school district. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

When Windows is switched off, the device simply works as a Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad for the tablet itself. — New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026

Noun

Because the album is rich with melody—because the compositions snake so readily from note to note, compared to Malone’s previous works—inklings of narrative start to seep from the foggy passages. — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026

Also included in the mix were family heirlooms, like paintings passed down to her from her grandmother, or works made by her father. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026

Makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes softens the edges of a bold red lip with a brush for the halo lip, Vogue reported, showing the technique works beyond pale or neutral shades. — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026

That database was paltry compared with those assembled by AI developers today, but even then computers had become repositories of the esoteric facts one found in reference works and textbooks. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026

Proceeds from Dia’s fall gala will go toward commissions, publications, lectures and other educational programs in addition to the foundation’s restoration plans for existing spaces and site-specific works. — Ari Stark, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2026

Williams lives, works and invents in Staten Island, New York with his wife and kids. — New Atlas, 3 Nov. 2026

According to a Charleston press release, Darren Clarke, head of collections and research at Charleston, believes the discrepancy in timing may be explained by Grant’s practice in later life of retrospectively dating works. — News Desk, Artforum, 2 Nov. 2026

Those works and other similar ones in the Met’s collection exemplified a neoclassical New England style that informed her work, titled Vessel. — Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 30 Oct. 2026