Definition of Work

Noun: work wurk

Activity directed toward making or doing something
"she checked several points needing further work"
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"; "it is not regarded as one of his more memorable pieces of work";
- piece of work
The occupation for which you are paid
"a lot of people are out of work";
- employment
Applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading)
"mastering a second language requires a lot of work";
- study
(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"
A place where work is done
"he arrived at work early today";
- workplace
The total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it)
"Picasso's work can be divided into periods"; "he studied the entire Wagnerian body of work";
- oeuvre, body of work

Verb: work wurk

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"
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
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
Perform as expected when applied
"This old radio doesn't work anymore";
- function, operate, go, run
Shape, form, or improve a material
"work stone into tools"; "work the metal";
- work on, process
Give a workout to
"My personal trainer works me hard"; "work one's muscles"; "Some parents work out their infants";
- exercise, work out
Proceed along a path
"work one's way through the crowd";
- make
Operate in a certain place, area, or speciality
"She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"
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"
Move in an agitated manner
"His fingers worked with tension"
Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
"I cannot work a miracle";
- bring, play, wreak, make for
Cause to work
"he is working his servants hard";
- put to work
(farming) prepare for crops
"Work the soil";
- cultivate, crop
Behave in a certain way when handled
"This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well"
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
Operate in or through
"Work the phones"
Cause to operate or function
"This pilot works the controls"; "Can you work an electric drill?"
Provoke or excite
"The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"
Gratify and charm, usually in order to influence
"the political candidate worked the crowds"
Make something, usually for a specific function
"Work the metal into a sword";
- shape, form, mold [N. Amer], mould [Brit, Cdn], forge
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"
Make uniform
"work the clay until it is soft";
- knead
Use or manipulate to one's advantage
"She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy";
- exploit
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, unriddle
Cause to undergo fermentation
"The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats";
- ferment
Go sour or spoil
"The wine worked";
- sour, turn, ferment
Arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion
"The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"