1
: the manner of functioning or operating : operation
—usually used in plural
the inner workings of the government
2
: an excavation or group of excavations made in mining, quarrying, or tunneling
—usually used in plural
1
: engaged in work especially for wages or a salary
a working journalist
a working mother
2
: adequate to permit work to be done
a working majority
3
: assumed or adopted to permit or facilitate further work or activity
a working draft
4
: spent at work
working life
5
: being in use or operation
a working farm
Synonyms
Examples of working in a Sentence
Adjective
There is a good working relationship between the departments.
the working parts of the machine
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Holgate, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2024
By contrast, the Netherlands had the shortest working week of 33.2 hours, followed by Germany at 35.3 hours.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune Europe, 25 Apr. 2024
This function is of particular interest to athletes, but it can also be used to monitor the health status of workers in jobs that require strenuous physical activity, especially in hazardous or extreme working conditions.
—IEEE Spectrum, 24 Apr. 2024
Created by Congress in 1935, the NLRB is tasked with safeguarding workers' rights to form unions and collectively seek better working conditions.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
Manufacturing delta-8 can take place in unsanitary working conditions, says the FDA.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Apr. 2024
The rapper, his Yeezy brand and the Los Angeles-area school face allegations of discrimination, a hostile work environment, whistleblower retaliation and unsafe working conditions and more.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/AP Donna Williams, an American Airlines flight attendant, rallies with other union workers pushing for higher wages and better working conditions at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, Feb. 13, 2024.
—Leonardo Bevilacqua, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2024
Schools are closed across Israel today — Sunday is the first day of the working week is Israel — and many flights are canceled.
—NBC News, 15 Apr. 2024
David A. Brenner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024
Here on the tiny working waterfront of Tybee Island, Georgia, the hesitancy is logical.
—Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2024
Working moms are turning to entrepreneurship Despite assumptions that pregnant women and mothers are less interested in career progression, Fawcett’s research found that most working moms remained just as ambitious after a baby—and nearly half became more ambitious.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2023
Soon, others followed with demonstrations of drawing a clone of Breakout, creating a working dial clock that ticks, drawing the snake game, making a Pong game, interpreting a visual state chart, and much more.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2023
Till then, time to dust off those CDs — and find a working Discman.
—Vulture, 13 Nov. 2023
The places in America that produce the most working musicians tend to be the states with the largest Black populations.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023
The run-up to the 2024 election will demand familiarity not only with Washington, but also a working knowledge of the courtroom.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023
For International Coworking Day on Aug. 9, the company rented co-working space and arranged happy hours in nearly a dozen cities across the country.
—Taylor Telford, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2023
Noun
His office and studio are at the back, out of the public gaze, though the opening hours will follow that of the working week: Monday will be appointment only, and Tuesday to Friday the space will be open to anyone who wants to just drop by.
—Mark Holgate, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2024
By contrast, the Netherlands had the shortest working week of 33.2 hours, followed by Germany at 35.3 hours.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune Europe, 25 Apr. 2024
This function is of particular interest to athletes, but it can also be used to monitor the health status of workers in jobs that require strenuous physical activity, especially in hazardous or extreme working conditions.
—IEEE Spectrum, 24 Apr. 2024
Created by Congress in 1935, the NLRB is tasked with safeguarding workers' rights to form unions and collectively seek better working conditions.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 23 Apr. 2024
Manufacturing delta-8 can take place in unsanitary working conditions, says the FDA.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Apr. 2024
The rapper, his Yeezy brand and the Los Angeles-area school face allegations of discrimination, a hostile work environment, whistleblower retaliation and unsafe working conditions and more.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman/AP Donna Williams, an American Airlines flight attendant, rallies with other union workers pushing for higher wages and better working conditions at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, Feb. 13, 2024.
—Leonardo Bevilacqua, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Apr. 2024
Schools are closed across Israel today — Sunday is the first day of the working week is Israel — and many flights are canceled.
—NBC News, 15 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Few frontline physicians have a working knowledge of every rare disease, or even some.
—David A. Brenner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024
Here on the tiny working waterfront of Tybee Island, Georgia, the hesitancy is logical.
—Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2024
Working moms are turning to entrepreneurship Despite assumptions that pregnant women and mothers are less interested in career progression, Fawcett’s research found that most working moms remained just as ambitious after a baby—and nearly half became more ambitious.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2023
Soon, others followed with demonstrations of drawing a clone of Breakout, creating a working dial clock that ticks, drawing the snake game, making a Pong game, interpreting a visual state chart, and much more.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2023
Till then, time to dust off those CDs — and find a working Discman.
—Vulture, 13 Nov. 2023
The places in America that produce the most working musicians tend to be the states with the largest Black populations.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023
The run-up to the 2024 election will demand familiarity not only with Washington, but also a working knowledge of the courtroom.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023
For International Coworking Day on Aug. 9, the company rented co-working space and arranged happy hours in nearly a dozen cities across the country.
—Taylor Telford, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'working.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near working
Cite this Entry
“Working.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/working. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
working
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: doing work especially for a living
working people
b
: being in an operating state
a working model
2
: good enough to allow work to be done
a working majority
a working arrangement
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