Definition of “work” - English Dictionary

English
Contents

“work” in English

See all translations

worknoun

uk ​ /wɜːk/ us ​ /wɝːk/

work noun (ACTIVITY)

A1 [ U ] an activity, such as a job, that a person uses physical or mental effort to do, usually for money:

I've got so much work to do.
Carrying heavy loads around all day is hard work.
What time do you start/finish work?
Aileen does most of the work around the house.
What sort of work are you experienced in?
She tends to wear quite dressy clothes for work.
Roger's work involves a lot of travelling.

A2 [ U ] the material used by someone at work, or what they produce:

I'll have to take this work home with me and finish it there.
All the furniture is the work of residents here.

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

work noun (PLACE)

A1 [ U ] a place where a person goes specially to do their job:

Do you have far to travel to work each day?
Thousands of people are seriously injured at work every year.
When does she leave for work?

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

work noun (CREATION)

B2 [ C ] something created as a result of effort, especially a painting, book, or piece of music:

The museum has many works by Picasso as well as other modern painters.
the poetic works of Tagore

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

work noun (SURGERY)

› [ U ] informal surgery (= a medical operation) that is done to improve someone's appearance:

She denies having had any cosmetic surgery, but I think she's definitely had some work done.

Grammar

Work (noun) …
Work as an uncountable nounWork is an uncountable noun when it means something we do that takes an effort, often as part of a job or for study: …
Work as a countable nounWork as a countable noun means something created, especially a book or painting or piece of music or sculpture: …

Idiom(s)

all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy)
be at work
be in work
be out of work
get/set to work
have your work cut out (for you)
in the works

workverb

uk ​ /wɜːk/ us ​ /wɝːk/

work verb (HAVE EFFECT)

B1 [ I usually + adv/prep ] to be effective or successful:

Her idea for reorganizing the department will never work in practice.
The tablets will start to work in a few minutes.
Some people think I'm weird doing meditation, but it works for me and that's all that matters.
Arguably, the monarchy worked well for many centuries.

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

work verb (DO JOB)

A1 [ I or T ] to do a job, especially the job you do to earn money, or to make someone do a job:

He works at the hospital.
She worked as a cleaner at the hospital.
Mike works for a computer company.
It's not unusual for a junior doctor to work a 70 or sometimes an 80-hour week.
Have you any experience of working with children who have learning difficulties?
The instructors worked us very hard on the survival course.
See also

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

work verb (OPERATE)

A2 [ I or T ] If a machine or device works, it operates, especially correctly and without failure, and if you work it, you make it operate:

Our phone isn't working.
You need a team of about twelve people to work a furnace this size.
The pump works off/on (= uses) wind power.
The pump is worked by (= uses to operate) wind power.
I can't get the radio to work.

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

work verb (SUCCEED IN BECOMING)

› [ I or T, + adv/prep ] to succeed gradually in becoming something or cause a person or thing to become something, either by making an effort or by making many small movements:

He started as a technician and worked his way up through the company to become managing director.
Eventually she worked her way through (= read) the huge amount of technical papers.
Vibration tends to make nuts and screws work themselves loose.
The screws had worked loose over time.

More examples

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

work a treat
work like a charm
work wonders/miracles
work your fingers to the bone
work like a dog
work till/until you drop
work your way around to sth

Phrasal verb(s)

work against/for sb
work at sth
work sth off
work on sth
work on sb
work sth out
work out
work sb out
work (sth) out
work sb over
work through sth
work up sth
work sb up
work (yourself) up to sth

-worksuffix

uk ​ / -wɜːk/ us ​ / -wɝːk/

(Definition of “work” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“work” in American English

See all translations

workverb

us ​ /wɜrk/

work verb (DO A JOB)

› [ I/T ] to do a job, esp. a job you do to earn money:

[ T ] She works long hours.
[ T ] Richie worked the night shift.
[ I ] Designers worked with the director.
[ I ] Mike works for a computer company.
[ I ] Medics were working on him for an hour.
[ I ] She worked on the project with Luce.
[ I ] Anna works well with others.
[ I ] I have to work on Saturday.

work verb (PERFORM AS INTENDED)

› [ I/T ] to perform as intended or desired, or to cause something to do what it was intended to do:

[ I ] The medicine ought to work right away.
[ I ] Our plan worked perfectly.
[ T ] I don’t know how to work this computer.
[ T ] He knows how to work the system (= get what he wants from it).

work verb (HAVE EFFECT)

› [ I always + adv/prep ] (of a condition or fact) to have an effect, esp. one that either helps or causes difficulties:

Time was working against us.
Jimmie has a lot working in his favor.

work verb (MAKE OBJECT)

› [ T ] to shape something with your hands:

She carefully works the clay.

Idiom(s)

work like a dog
work the land
work your way up
work wonders

Phrasal verb(s)

work someone/yourself up
work out
work out
work out something
work out something
work through something
work up something
work up to something

worknoun

us ​ /wɜrk/

work noun (FORCE)

› physics [ U ] force used on an object multiplied by the distance it moves the object, measured in joules

work noun (PLACE)

› [ U ] the place where a person regularly goes to do his or her job:

I had to leave work early.
Does it take long to commute to work?

work noun (OBJECT)

› [ C ] an object produced as a result of effort, esp. something intended to be art:

The museum is showing works by 20th-century artists.

work noun (DO A JOB)

› [ U ] the use of effort to do or make something that has value, and for which you are usually paid:

outdoor/office/manual work
Steve’s out of work again (= not employed).

Idiom(s)

at work
in the works

(Definition of “work” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“work” in Business English

See all translations

workverb

uk ​ /wɜːk/ us ​

› [ I or T ] HR, WORKPLACE to do a job, especially to earn money:

Do you work?
He works as a computer technician.
My brother works for a large American corporation.
How many people work at your company?
work full-time/part-time/from home
work an eight-hour day/hard/long hours
work in a bank/factory/an office

› [ I ] to spend time and effort doing something:

We were working on the presentation all night.
The two countries worked together on developing the technology.
Multinationals will have to work with governments to achieve the best balance between openness and security.

› [ I ] to try hard to achieve or improve something:

work at/on sth You need to work on your communication skills.
I'm not very confident on the phone, but I'm prepared to work at it.
be working towards sth Our firm is working towards being a paperless environment.

› [ I ] to be effective or successful:

The plan seemed to work well.
The current system isn't working, so we'll need to look at an alternative.

› [ I ] WORKPLACE, IT if a machine or piece of equipment works, it operates as expected:

My computer isn't working.
I can't get this printer to work.

› [ T ] informal WORKPLACE, IT to operate a machine or piece of equipment:

He doesn't even know how to work a photocopier.

› [ T ] COMMERCE to go around a particular area that you are responsible for, especially in a sales job:

His sales were better when he was working the London area.

› [ I ] to have a good or bad effect:

The terms they're offering don't work for us.
His poor command of English worked against him in the interview.
Her previous sales experience worked in her favour.

› [ T ] to change the shape of a material to make something else with it:

work leather/metal
work a mine

› NATURAL RESOURCES to dig for coal, minerals, etc.:

These men have been working the mines all their lives.
work sb hard

› to make someone use a lot of effort:

He works his trainees really hard.
work it so (that) informal

› to arrange for something to happen in a way that is useful for you:

I'm going to try and work it so I can spend the weekend in New York after the conference.
work the land formal

› to prepare the soil to grow crops on it:

We're here to thank those who work the land to feed us.
work the system

› to know how to deal with a system or organization to get the result you want:

People who know how to work the system can significantly reduce their tax bill.
work things out

› to deal with a situation successfully, especially when there is a problem:

I'll try to work things out with our suppliers.
work your way up sth also work your way up to sth

› to do a series of jobs at different levels in an organization until you reach a position at the top of the organization:

She joined the company as a sales rep but worked her way up to managing director.
work your way up the ladder/hierarchy/ranks I'd like to stay here and work my way up the audit career ladder.

Phrasal verb(s)

work out
work sth out
work sth up

worknoun [ U ]

uk ​ /wɜːk/ us ​

› HR the job that someone does, usually to earn money:

full-time/part-time work Many pensioners will have to consider part-time work to supplement their retirement plans.
find/get/look for work The government's initiative helps the unemployed find work.
He's been out of work for six months now.
permanent/regular/temporary work
paid/unpaid/voluntary work
badly paid/well-paid work
give up/go back to/return to work

› WORKPLACE a place, such as an office, a factory, etc., where someone goes to do their job:

The Managing Director always arrived at work early and stayed late.
She claimed her stress was the result of the bank's hostile work environment.
be at/go to/leave work What time do you go to work in the morning?

› WORKPLACE the responsibilities that are part of your job:

start/finish/stop work I don't finish work until 6.30 pm.
I need to take some time off work to look after my son.
Analysts refer to various sources of information to help them make investment decisions in their day-to-day work.
The government launched an inquiry into the work of the Monetary Policy Committee.
do/enjoy/hate your work
factory/manual/office work
administrative/clerical/secretarial work

› WORKPLACE the tasks that need to be completed:

do/produce/take on work The department can't take on any more work until this project is finished.
I always end up taking work home at the weekend.

› the mental or physical effort involved in doing or achieving something:

The builders started work on the new offices last week.
carry out/put in work The whole team put in a lot of hard work to win the contract.
We need to set to work on reviewing our claims system.
The finance department has been hard at work on its year-end report.
Management still has a lot of work to do to ensure the company's future.
The committee's report was a very good piece of work.
good/hard work
innovative/major/outstanding work
works

› [ plural ] UK the activity of building or repairing something:

engineering/repair works The road was closed for essential repair works.
works

› [ C ] PRODUCTION an industrial building where materials or goods are manufactured:

Residents protested about the waste produced by the nearby industrial works.
a chemical/gas/steel works
the works foreman/manager/supervisor
the works close down/open
have your work cut out for you informal

› to have something very difficult to do:

The government has its work cut out for it trying to reduce the national deficit.
in the works

› in the process of being planned or discussed:

Protesters claim the proposed cuts had been in the works for months.

See also

casual
contingent work
make-work
out of work
piecework
public works
welfare to work
work in progress

(Definition of “work” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Help us add to the Cambridge Dictionary!

These examples are from external sources. Click on the icon to tell us if any are not OK.

work

Needless to say, in parallel, each of us needs to work on what to do in case things do not go as we wish.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
I hope that this time things will work much better, thanks to the progress that has been achieved as far as temporary protection is concerned.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Even if the port employers wanted to, it will not be possible to work with poorly trained, unqualified workers who could be a threat to the safety of the ports.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We know how difficult it is to create all the conditions necessary to ensure stability and we must work to ensure sustainable growth.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
I think that we have to look very carefully at how to present and systematically secure the new fields, such as immigration and undeclared work.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We need to create proper conditions for full and stable employment to improve quality and productivity at work and labour market cohesion.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We have to work within the constraints of the budget and the perspective as defined by the budgetary authority as a whole.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Let us talk together, so that we are not always coming up with the minimum of consensus, but can get the legislative work done.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We must work for a longer period of time but at the same time the pension we receive from statutory occupational retirement schemes will be smaller than before.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We must also increase the participation of women, immigrants, older workers and disabled people in the labour market, and adapt tax and benefit systems to make work pay.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Translations of “work”
 
Need a translator?

Translator tool

Get a quick, free translation!

What is the pronunciation of work?
Browse