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Definitions for: Work
[n] activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work"
[n] the occupation for which you are paid; "he is looking for employment"; "a lot of people are out of work"
[n] the total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it); "he studied the entire Wagnerian oeuvre"; "Picasso's work can be divided into periods"
[n] a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing; "it is not regarded as one of his more memorable works"; "the symphony was hailed as an ingenious work"; "he was indebted to the pioneering work of John Dewey"; "the work of an active imagination"; "erosion is the work of wind or water over time"
[n] a place where work is done; "he arrived at work early today"
[n] applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading); "mastering a second language requires a lot of work"; "no schools offer graduate study in interior design"
[n] (physics) a manifestation of energy; the transfer of energy from one physical system to another expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which it moves a body in the direction of that force; "work equals force times distance"
[v] give a work-out to; "Some parents exercise their infants"; "My personal trainer works me hard"; "work one's muscles"
[v] arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"
[v] go sour or spoil; "The milk has soured"; "The wine worked"; "The cream has turned--we have to throw it out"
[v] cause to undergo fermentation; "We ferment the grapes for a very long time to achieve high alcohol content"; "The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats"
[v] find the solution to (a problem or question) or udnerstand the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math problem"
[v] use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy"
[v] make something, usually for a specific function; "She molded the riceballs carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword"
[v] make uniform; "knead dough"; "work the clay until it is soft"
[v] perform as expected when applied; "The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in"; "Does this old car still run well?"; "This old radio doesn't work anymore"
[v] move into or onto; "work the raisins into the dough"; "the student worked a few jokes into his presentation"; "work the body onto the flatbed truck"
[v] cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area"
[v] shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal"
[v] prepare for crops; "Work the soil"; "cultivate the land"
[v] gratify and charm, usually in order to influence; "the political candidate worked the crowds"
[v] move in ran agitated manner; "His fingers worked with tension"
[v] proceed along a path; "work one's way through the crowd"; "make one's way into the forest"
[v] provoke or excite; "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"
[v] proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity; "work your way through every problem or task"; "She was working on her second martini when the guests arrived"; "Start from the bottom and work towards the top"
[v] cause to work; "he is working his servants hard"
[v] be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college"
[v] exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"
[v] cause to operate or function; "This pilot works the controls"; "Can you work an electric drill?"
[v] operate in or through; "Work the phones"
[v] have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected; "The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought"; "How does your idea work in practice?"; "This method doesn't work"; "The breaks of my new car act quickly"; "The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water"
[v] have and exert influence or effect; "The artist's work influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends to support the political candidate"
[v] operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"
[v] behave in a certain way when handled; "This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well"
Webster (1913) Definition: Work, n.
1. (Cricket) Break; twist. [Cant]
2. (Mech.) The causing of motion against a resisting force,
measured by the product of the force into the component of
the motion resolved along the direction of the force.
Energy is the capacity of doing work. . . . Work is
the transference of energy from one system to
another. --Clerk
Maxwell.
3. (Mining) Ore before it is dressed.
Work, n. [OE. work, werk, weork, AS. weorc, worc; akin to
OFries. werk, wirk, OS., D., & G. werk, OHG. werc, werah,
Icel. & Sw. verk, Dan. v[ae]rk, Goth. gawa['u]rki, Gr. ?, ?,
work, ? to do, ? an instrument, ? secret rites, Zend verez to
work. ????. Cf. Bulwark, Energy, Erg, Georgic,
Liturgy, Metallurgy, Organ, Surgeon, Wright.]
1. Exertion of strength or faculties; physical or
intellectual effort directed to an end; industrial
activity; toil; employment; sometimes, specifically,
physically labor.
Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed.
--Milton.
2. The matter on which one is at work; that upon which one
spends labor; material for working upon; subject of
exertion; the thing occupying one; business; duty; as, to
take up one's work; to drop one's work.
Come on, Nerissa; I have work in hand That you yet
know not of. --Shak.
In every work that he began . . . he did it with all
his heart, and prospered. --2 Chron.
xxxi. 21.
3. That which is produced as the result of labor; anything
accomplished by exertion or toil; product; performance;
fabric; manufacture; in a more general sense, act, deed,
service, effect, result, achievement, feat.
To leave no rubs or blotches in the work. --Shak.
The work some praise, And some the architect.
--Milton.
Fancy . . . Wild work produces oft, and most in
dreams. --Milton.
The composition or dissolution of mixed bodies . . .
is the chief work of elements. --Sir K.
Digby.
4. Specifically:
(a) That which is produced by mental labor; a composition;
a book; as, a work, or the works, of Addison.
(b) Flowers, figures, or the like, wrought with the
needle; embroidery.
I am glad I have found this napkin; . . . I'll
have the work ta'en out, And give 't Iago.
--Shak.
(c) pl. Structures in civil, military, or naval
engineering, as docks, bridges, embankments, trenches,
fortifications, and the like; also, the structures and
grounds of a manufacturing establishment; as, iron
works; locomotive works; gas works.
(d) pl. The moving parts of a mechanism; as, the works of
a watch.
5. Manner of working; management; treatment; as, unskillful
work spoiled the effect. --Bp. Stillingfleet.
6. (Mech.) The causing of motion against a resisting force.
The amount of work is proportioned to, and is measured by,
the product of the force into the amount of motion along
the direction of the force. See Conservation of energy,
under Conservation, Unit of work, under Unit, also
Foot pound, Horse power, Poundal, and Erg.
Energy is the capacity of doing work . . . Work is
the transference of energy from one system to
another. --Clerk
Maxwell.
7. (Mining) Ore before it is dressed. --Raymond.
8. pl. (Script.) Performance of moral duties; righteous
conduct.
He shall reward every man according to his works.
--Matt. xvi.
27.
Faith, if it hath not works, is dead. --James ii.
17.
Muscular work (Physiol.), the work done by a muscle through
the power of contraction.
To go to work, to begin laboring; to commence operations;
to contrive; to manage. ``I 'll go another way to work
with him.'' --Shak.
To set on work, to cause to begin laboring; to set to work.
[Obs.] --Hooker.
To set to work, to employ; to cause to engage in any
business or labor.
Work, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Worked, or Wrought; p. pr.
& vb. n. Working.] [AS. wyrcean (imp. worthe, wrohte, p. p.
geworht, gewroht); akin to OFries. werka, wirka, OS. wirkian,
D. werken, G. wirken, Icel. verka, yrkja, orka, Goth.
wa['u]rkjan. [root]145. See Work, n.]
1. To exert one's self for a purpose; to put forth effort for
the attainment of an object; to labor; to be engaged in
the performance of a task, a duty, or the like.
O thou good Kent, how shall I live and work, To
match thy goodness? --Shak.
Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw
be given you. --Ex. v. 18.
Whether we work or play, or sleep or wake, Our life
doth pass. --Sir J.
Davies.
2. Hence, in a general sense, to operate; to act; to perform;
as, a machine works well.
We bend to that the working of the heart. --Shak.
3. Hence, figuratively, to be effective; to have effect or
influence; to conduce.
We know that all things work together for good to
them that love God. --Rom. viii.
28.
This so wrought upon the child, that afterwards he
desired to be taught. --Locke.
She marveled how she could ever have been wrought
upon to marry him. --Hawthorne.
4. To carry on business; to be engaged or employed
customarily; to perform the part of a laborer; to labor;
to toil.
They that work in fine flax . . . shall be
confounded. --Isa. xix. 9.
5. To be in a state of severe exertion, or as if in such a
state; to be tossed or agitated; to move heavily; to
strain; to labor; as, a ship works in a heavy sea.
Confused with working sands and rolling waves.
--Addison.
6. To make one's way slowly and with difficulty; to move or
penetrate laboriously; to proceed with effort; -- with a
following preposition, as down, out, into, up, through,
and the like; as, scheme works out by degrees; to work
into the earth.
Till body up to spirit work, in bounds Proportioned
to each kind. --Milton.
7. To ferment, as a liquid.
The working of beer when the barm is put in.
--Bacon.
8. To act or operate on the stomach and bowels, as a
cathartic.
Purges . . . work best, that is, cause the blood so
to do, . . . in warm weather or in a warm room.
--Grew.
To work at, to be engaged in or upon; to be employed in.
To work to windward (Naut.), to sail or ply against the
wind; to tack to windward. --Mar. Dict.
Work, v. t.
1. To labor or operate upon; to give exertion and effort to;
to prepare for use, or to utilize, by labor.
He could have told them of two or three gold mines,
and a silver mine, and given the reason why they
forbare to work them at that time. --Sir W.
Raleigh.
2. To produce or form by labor; to bring forth by exertion or
toil; to accomplish; to originate; to effect; as, to work
wood or iron into a form desired, or into a utensil; to
work cotton or wool into cloth.
Each herb he knew, that works or good or ill.
--Harte.
3. To produce by slow degrees, or as if laboriously; to bring
gradually into any state by action or motion. ``Sidelong
he works his way.'' --Milton.
So the pure, limpid stream, when foul with stains Of
rushing torrents and descending rains, Works itself
clear, and as it runs, refines, Till by degrees the
floating mirror shines. --Addison.
4. To influence by acting upon; to prevail upon; to manage;
to lead. ``Work your royal father to his ruin.''
--Philips.
5. To form with a needle and thread or yarn; especially, to
embroider; as, to work muslin.
6. To set in motion or action; to direct the action of; to
keep at work; to govern; to manage; as, to work a machine.
Knowledge in building and working ships.
--Arbuthnot.
Now, Marcus, thy virtue's the proof; Put forth thy
utmost strength, work every nerve. --Addison.
The mariners all 'gan work the ropes, Where they
were wont to do. --Coleridge.
7. To cause to ferment, as liquor.
To work a passage (Naut.), to pay for a passage by doing
work.
To work double tides (Naut.), to perform the labor of three
days in two; -- a phrase which alludes to a practice of
working by the night tide as well as by the day.
To work in, to insert, introduce, mingle, or interweave by
labor or skill.
To work into, to force, urge, or insinuate into; as, to
work one's self into favor or confidence.
To work off, to remove gradually, as by labor, or a gradual
process; as, beer works off impurities in fermenting.
To work out.
(a) To effect by labor and exertion. ``Work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling.'' --Phil. ii. 12.
(b) To erase; to efface. [R.]
Tears of joy for your returning spilt, Work out
and expiate our former guilt. --Dryden.
(c) To solve, as a problem.
(d) To exhaust, as a mine, by working.
To work up.
(a) To raise; to excite; to stir up; as, to work up the
passions to rage.
The sun, that rolls his chariot o'er their
heads, Works up more fire and color in their
cheeks. --Addison.
(b) To expend in any work, as materials; as, they have
worked up all the stock.
(c) (Naut.) To make over or into something else, as yarns
drawn from old rigging, made into spun yarn, foxes,
sennit, and the like; also, to keep constantly at work
upon needless matters, as a crew in order to punish
them. --R. H. Dana, Jr.
Synonyms: act, act upon, body of work, bring, crop, cultivate, employment, exercise, exploit, ferment, figure out, forge, form, function, go, influence, knead, lick, make, make for, mold, mould, oeuvre, operate, piece of work, play, put to work, puzzle out, run, shape, solve, sour, study, turn, work out, work out, workplace, wreak
Antonyms: idle, laze, malfunction, misfunction, slug, stagnate
See Also: acquisition, action, activity, affect, aid, answer, apply, apply, arouse, arrange, assist, attention, avail, bakehouse, bakery, bakeshop, bank, be, bear on, bear upon, beat, beaver, beaver away, becharm, become, beehive, beguile, bewitch, blackjack, blackleg, blackmail, booking, boondoggle, break, break one's back, bring about, bring off, bring on, bring up, brokerage, brokerage house, buckle down, bushwhack, business, busy, busywork, call down, call forth, caning, captivate, capture, care, care, carpenter, carry, carry off, carve, cast, catch, central, change state, charm, chef-d'oeuvre, chip, claw, clerk, coaching, coaching job, coil, coldwork, collaborate, colliery, color, colour, come through, computerise, computerize, conjure, conjure up, consult, convert, cooper, cooperate, coursework, creamery, create, create from raw material, create from raw stuff, cut, deal, dig, displace, displace, do work, dominate, double, drill site, drive, drudge, duty, effect, effectuate, electioneer, employ, employ, enamor, enamour, enchant, end product, energy, engagement, entrance, evoke, exchange, excite, exercise, exploit, fag, farm, farm, fascinate, feed, fill, fish farm, fishery, forge, form, free-lance, gasworks, gear up, geographic point, geographical point, get, get at, get together, glassworks, go, go, go across, go through, go through, grind, guess, handbuild, handcraft, handicraft, handiwork, handle, handwork, harness, heavy lifting, help, hill, housekeeping, housewifery, housework, impact, imprint, induce, infer, intern, investigating, investigation, invoke, ironing, ironwork, ironworks, job, job, job, join forces, jostle, keep one's nose to the grindstone, keep one's shoulder to the wheel, knuckle down, lab, labor, labor, laboratory, labour, labour, lacework, lacquerware, laundry, lavation, learning, leatherwork, line, line of work, locker room, logging, loose end, lumberyard, machine, make, make over, make-work, man, manage, manage, manipulate, manipulate, masterpiece, masticate, mess around, metalwork, militate, minister, mission, missionary work, model, moil, monkey, monkey around, moonlight, mound, move, move, move, muck about, muck around, navigation, negociate, nightwork, occupation, occupy, openwork, operation, output, overcrop, overcultivate, overwork, overwork, oyster bank, oyster bed, oyster park, page, paperwork, pass, peg away, persuade, piecework, piscary, pit, play, plug away, polishing, potter, preform, prejudice, prepare, prepossess, pressure, prey, procedure, proceed, product, production, project, proving ground, public service, publication, puddle, pull off, pull one's weight, pull strings, pull wires, put forward, put to work, putter, rack, rack, raise, rat, ready, reason, remold, research lab, research laboratory, reshape, resolve, retread, rework, riddle, roll, rope yard, ropewalk, roughcast, roundhouse, run through, sailing, scab, scant, science lab, science laboratory, sculpt, sculpture, seafaring, serve, serve, service, service, services, set, set up, shining, shipyard, shop, shop floor, silverwork, sinter, skimp, skipper, slave, slog, smithy, social service, spadework, specialise, specialize, stage, stamp, stimulate, stir, stir, stir, strike, studio, subbing, subcontract, substituting, succeed, swage, sway, swing, swing over, take, tannery, task, telecommuting, telephone exchange, teleworking, tending, test bed, throw, till, timework, tinker, toil, toil, tool, touch, touch on, trance, transform, transmute, transubstantiate, travail, turn a trick, understand, undertaking, unfinished business, upset, use, use, utilise, utilise, utilize, utilize, vinify, volunteer, wait, warm up, warm up, wash, washing, waterworks, welfare work, wicker, wickerwork, win, woodwork, work, work at, work in progress, work on, work out, work through, workload, workpiece, workshop, writing
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