Search results for 'work':

work noun 1 physical or mental effort made in order to achieve or make something, eg labour, study, research, etc. 2 employment • out of work. 3 one's place of employment • He leaves work at 4.30. 4 tasks to be done • She often brings work home with her. Also in compounds • housework. 5 the product of mental or physical labour • His work has improved • a lifetime's work. 6 a manner of working, or workmanship. 7 a any literary, artistic, musical, or dramatic composition or creation; b (works) the entire collection of such material by an artist, composer or author, etc. 8 anything done, managed, made or achieved, etc; an activity carried out for some purpose • works of charity. 9 old use needlework. 10 in compounds things made in the material or with the tools specified; the production of such things • basketwork. 11 in compounds the parts of a building, etc using a specified material • stonework. 12 (works) often in compounds building or repair operations • roadworks. 13 (works) often in compounds a rampart or defense • earthworks. 14 (works) colloq the operating parts of eg a watch or machine; the mechanism. 15 (works) often in compounds the place of manufacture of a specified product • gasworks. 16 (the works) colloq everything possible, available or going; the whole lot • She has a headache, fever, cold - the works! 17 physics the transfer of energy that occurs when force is exerted on a body to move it, measured in joules. adj relating to, or suitable for, etc work • work clothes. verb (worked, working) 1 intrans to do work; to exert oneself mentally or physically; to toil, labour or study. 2 tr & intr to be employed or have a job. 3 to impose tasks on someone; to make them labour • She works her staff hard. 4 tr & intr to operate, especially satisfactorily • Does this radio work? 5 intrans said of a plan or idea, etc: to be successful or effective. 6 intrans to function in a particular way • That's not how life works. 7 intrans said of a craftsman: to specialize in the use of a specified material • He works in brass. 8 to shape or fashion (metals or other materials); to make by doing this • earrings worked in silver. 9 to cultivate (land). 10 to extract materials from (a mine). 11 to knead (eg dough). 12 to cover (an area) as a salesman, etc. 13 to sew or embroider, etc. 14 to achieve (miracles, wonders, etc). 15 colloq to manipulate (a system or rules, etc) to one's advantage. 16 tr & intr to make (one's way), or shift or make something shift gradually • work one's way forward • worked the nail out of the wall. 17 intrans said eg of a screw: to become gradually (loose or free, etc). 18 intrans said of the face or features: to move uncontrollably with emotion; to contort. 19 to exercise (a part of the body). 20 intrans said of a liquid: to ferment. 21 to earn (one's sea passage) by unpaid work on board. workless adj. all in a day's work not being any more work or trouble than usual. give someone the works colloq to use every measure available in dealing with them, by way of eg punishment, coercion or welcome. have one's work cut out colloq to be faced with a challenging task. make short work of something or someone to deal with it or them rapidly and effectively. a ... piece or bit of work colloq a person, especially with regard to an unfavorable aspect of character or disposition • He's a nasty piece of work. work to rule to reduce efficiency by working strictly to official working rules, especially as a form of industrial action.
ETYMOLOGY: Anglo-Saxon weorc.