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1. Actively engaged in paid work
   "the working population"; "the ratio of working men to unemployed"; "a working mother";
   - on the job
    
2. Adequate for practical use; especially sufficient in strength or numbers to accomplish something
   "the party has a working majority in the House"; "a working knowledge of Spanish"
    
3. Adopted as a temporary basis for further work
   "a working draft"; "a working hypothesis"
    
4. (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing
   "in working order";
   - running, operative, functional
    
5. Serving to permit or facilitate further work or activity
   "discussed the working draft of a peace treaty"; "they need working agreements with their neighbour states on interstate projects"

1. A mine or quarry that is being or has been worked
   - workings

1. Exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; work
   "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor"
    
2. 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"; "Is your husband doing work again?";
   - do work
    
3. Have a desired or expected effect or outcome
   "The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought"; "How does your idea work in practice?"; "This method doesn't work"; "The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water";
   - act
    
4. Perform as expected when applied
   "This old radio doesn't work anymore";
   - function, operate, go, run
    
5. Shape, form, or improve a material
   "work stone into tools"; "work the metal";
   - work on, process
    
6. Give a workout to
   "My personal trainer works me hard"; "work one's muscles"; "Some parents work out their infants";
   - exercise, work out
    
7. Proceed along a path
   "work one's way through the crowd";
   - make
    
8. Operate in a certain place, area, or speciality
   "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"
    
9. 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"
    
10. Move in an agitated manner
    "His fingers worked with tension"
     
11. Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
    "I cannot work a miracle";
    - bring, play, wreak, make for
     
12. Cause to work
    "he is working his servants hard";
    - put to work
     
13. (farming) prepare for crops
    "Work the soil";
    - cultivate, crop
     
14. Behave in a certain way when handled
    "This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well"
     
15. Have and exert influence or effect
    "The artist's work influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends to support the political candidate";
    - influence, act upon
     
16. Operate in or through
    "Work the phones"
     
17. Cause to operate or function
    "This pilot works the controls"; "Can you work an electric drill?"
     
18. Provoke or excite
    "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"
     
19. Gratify and charm, usually in order to influence
    "the political candidate worked the crowds"
     
20. Make something, usually for a specific function
    "Work the metal into a sword";
    - shape, form, mold [N. Amer], mould [Brit, Cdn], forge
     
21. 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"
     
22. To mix into a homogeneous mass
    "work the clay until it is soft";
    - knead
     
23. Use or manipulate to one's advantage
    "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy";
    - exploit
     
24. Find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
    "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "He could not work the maths problem";
    - solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick [N. Amer, informal], suss [Brit, informal], suss out [Brit, informal], unriddle
     
25. Cause to undergo fermentation
    "The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats";
    - ferment
     
26. Go sour or spoil
    "The wine worked";
    - sour, turn, ferment
     
27. Arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion
    "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"

Derived forms: workings

See also: act, bring on, conjure up, employed, functioning, impermanent, manage, operative, practical, temporary

Type of: affect, apply, be, bear on, bear upon, becharm [archaic], become, beguile, bewitch, bring home the bacon [informal], captivate, capture, care, catch, change state, charm, come through, come up trumps [Brit, informal], convert, create, create from raw material, create from raw stuff, deal, deliver the goods, displace, employ, enamor [US], enamour [Brit, Cdn], enchant, entrance, excavation, excite, fascinate, fix, gear up, get, go, handle, impact, make, manage, manipulate, move, operate, pass, prepare, proceed, ready, run, set, set up, stimulate, stir, succeed, touch, touch on, trance, transform, transmute, transubstantiate, turn, turn up trumps [Brit, informal], understand, use, utilise [Brit], utilize, win

Antonym: laze

Encyclopedia: Working