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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in solves
to find an answer for through reasoning finally figured out how to work the math problem

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in serves
to have a certain purpose the human kidneys work as a filtering system for the blood

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in operates
to produce a desired effect this headache remedy takes half an hour to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in moves
to set or keep in motion this pump is worked by hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in uses
to control the mechanical operation of show me how to work the machine

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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

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 works
Verb
If the model works, Hund says Rare Ventures will expand to include more diseases and potentially fund more treatments. — Brad Quick, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 Related Stories The film follows Di Marco’s titular character, a disabled young adult who works as a dominant at a fetish house. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond is urging lawmakers to reject a legislative proposal, saying the state's financial oversight process works and does not require an emergency change. — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 To help push his progress along, Wigham, who’s Draft Academy company also works as representatives for athletes, had Pritchard move in with him two months ago. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026 Attack works against Intel and AMD chips The researchers evaluated TONTOU across four processor generations from Intel and AMD and successfully caused mispredictions on chips from both companies. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026 According to Garen, the company now works across areas that include chiropractic care and medical aesthetics. — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 This crisis is a reason to fix what is broken, not an excuse to get rid of what works. — Joshua MacEy, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2026 Except that’s how the entertainment business works these days, and those deals did pay them millions (the Netflix production deal was reported to be in the $100-million range). — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
Her international exhibitions attracted huge crowds and her works often sold for more than $1 million. — Kaori Kaneko, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Other highlights include the 50th anniversary of Anacostia Park’s beloved roller skating pavilion; fairs dedicated to works by female artists; and international festivals with food, music and dancing. — Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026 Three North Miami city council members violated the city charter by asking third parties to pressure the city manager to intervene in the public works director’s termination, a judge ruled Wednesday. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 Whether that strategy works could matter as much as the settlement itself. — Carolina Rossini, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026 But what sinks the latter two shows is that voters still seem to be resistant toward honoring works of science-fiction. — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2026 Other works set to screen at the BFI include several of Maldoror’s non-fiction films, like Aimé Césaire, A Man, A Land, a documentary portrait of the Martinican author Aimé Césaire. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026 The couple began buying works by blue-chip artists such as Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami, but their interests have since broadened. — Payal Uttam, ARTnews.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Such Chinese characters were inscribed or stamped on most of the hundreds of thousands of works made during the Chinese monarch’s rule in the 18th century. — Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for works
  1. causes
  2. solves
  3. serves
  4. operates
  5. moves
  6. uses
  7. struggles
  8. exploits
Verb
  • Economists once again think economic growth causes prices to rise.
    — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Here's what insomnia is, what causes it and how it's typically treated.
    — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of causes
Verb
  • With just eight percent calcium, the material shows high tunability and solves a problem that has plagued the communications industry for decades.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Leaders should be asking how their own sector traditionally solves a problem, as well as who elsewhere has solved a version of it exceptionally well.
    — Jen Fuller, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of solves
Verb
  • The flood was a major blow to an enduring effort to modernize the pipeline that serves 6 million visitors a year and roughly 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village.
    — Jamie Stengle, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The flood hits water supply in the canyon The flood was a major blow to an enduring effort to modernize the water pipeline that serves visitors and the roughly 1,600 residents of Grand Canyon Village.
    — Jamie Stengle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of serves
Verb
  • Beauty, where product development operates at warp speed comparatively, the beauty executive knows which categories can be fast-tracked to market and which need more time.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Both were familiar with the Plaza’s owners, the company which owns and operates Dallas’s historic high-end shopping district, Highland Park Village.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of operates
Verb
  • Areas farther east could see greater impacts if the center moves toward the Sabine Pass area, as some forecast guidance currently suggests.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In training camp, Steward worked at nickel and at safety, but the personnel moves around the secondary have factored him out.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of moves
Verb
  • The department said the policies encouraged schools to conceal from parents whether their child uses different pronouns and allowed schools to print a different name on diplomas without parental knowledge.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Your immune system needs iron to fight infections, and your body uses iron to make hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to other organs and tissues.
    — Anahad O’Connor, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of uses
Verb
  • Las Vegas struggles to generate second chances without her on the court.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Huang also pushed back against concerns that Nvidia could be left on the hook if one of those companies struggles.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of struggles
Verb
  • One method exploits the weaknesses of a game’s random number generator (RNG) to obtain specific Pokémon; it’s appropriately known as RNG manipulation.
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The film follows an 11-year-old boy who exploits his brother’s tragic death to fight his father and his community, until his lies expose the hypocrisy and corruption beneath a seemingly moral society.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of exploits

Browse Nearby Words

workrooms
works
works (at)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Works.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/works. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All