work 1 of 2

verb

ˈwərk How to pronounce work (audio)
Definition of worknext
1
as in to cause
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind) this new drug can really work wonders

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning finally figured out how to work the math problem

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to serve
to have a certain purpose the human kidneys work as a filtering system for the blood

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to perform
to produce a desired effect this headache remedy takes half an hour to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to drive
to set or keep in motion this pump is worked by hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to operate
to control the mechanical operation of show me how to work the machine

Synonyms & Similar Words
7
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort the organization has worked for years to raise people's awareness of human rights issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in to use
to take unfair advantage of a young boy who worked his aunt for all she was worth in toys and candy when she visited once a year

Synonyms & Similar Words

work

2 of 2

noun

1
as in composition
a literary, musical, or artistic production unfortunately, many of her works are now out of print

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in production
something produced by physical or intellectual effort the new Web application is the work of a pair of young but highly gifted programmers

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in job
the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists the work of a movie director is to tell a story through a series of striking images

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in effort
the active use of energy in producing a result put a lot of work into the project

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in profession
the activity by which one regularly makes a living what line of work are you in?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in factory
works plural a building or set of buildings for the manufacturing of goods a glass works where high quality glassware is made

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun work contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of work are drudgery, grind, labor, toil, and travail. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

In what contexts can drudgery take the place of work?

The meanings of drudgery and work largely overlap; however, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than work?

The synonyms grind and work are sometimes interchangeable, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When could labor be used to replace work?

The words labor and work are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When is toil a more appropriate choice than work?

The words toil and work can be used in similar contexts, but toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When is it sensible to use travail instead of work?

Although the words travail and work have much in common, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of work
Verb
Tru Washington working his way back Lucas said guard Tru Washington, who missed two games while dealing with a personal matter, is working his way back into the squad. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026 Three new housing developments the village is working toward would be built on its 200-acre campus near the Highway 50-Chipman Road interchange. —Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
Noun
His firm’s work has been featured at numerous international expositions, including the French Pavilion at the Osaka Expo (World’s Fair) in 2025. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Feb. 2026 The unit recorded higher losses than expected last quarter after Washington issued a stop-work order for projects including Vineyard Wind 1, located off Martha’s Vineyard. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for work
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work
  1. cause
  2. solve
  3. serve
  4. perform
  5. drive
  6. operate
  7. struggle
  8. use
Verb
  • The crash was reported shortly after noon and was caused by a 92-year-old woman driving a Toyota Prius, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The explosion, which ripped through the mosque during Friday prayers, was caused by a suicide bomber, police told CNN.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of cause
Verb
  • Administration officials said the plan will help the West move beyond complaining about the problem of access to critical minerals to actually solving it.
    — DIDI TANG, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
  • The levees that solved its flooding concerns also hampered its growth.
    — Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of solve
Verb
  • Confrontations involving federal agents have routinely been captured on video from multiple angles, which later served to discount parts of the government’s narrative of events.
    — Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Of the other options, Bone Fire takes grilling to another level with unique preparations of excellent cuts of meat and fresh fish, while Marea, which serves lunch and dinner, explores the vibrant flavors of the Caribbean.
    — José Cantillo Ferrer, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Feb. 2026
Definition of serve
Verb
  • By controlling edge recombination through passivation, these wafers can maintain strong carrier collection and high efficiency, translating their theoretical advantages into practical, high-performing solar cells.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 14 Feb. 2026
  • During dinner, musician Malcolm McRae — who’s featured in Simkhai’s campaign imagery, and is also Anya Taylor-Joy’s husband — performed a song for the crowd, while Mia Moretti stepped up for DJ duty.
    — Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of perform
Verb
  • Molecular motion drives repair In earlier animal studies, a single injection 24 hours after severe injury enabled mice to regain the ability to walk within weeks.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Feb. 2026
  • The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management advised the public to secure loose outdoor items, watch for falling branches, and use caution while driving or walking.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Definition of drive
Verb
  • Milwaukee grocery stores will also operate regular business hours on Presidents Day.
    — Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 13 Feb. 2026
  • The next stage of reward prediction depends on the fact that the reward system does not operate in isolation.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of operate
Verb
  • Engineers have struggled to close the reaction gap between human perception and machine processing without sacrificing accuracy.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
  • De Meo was recruited from the auto industry, and his experience included turning around the struggling automaker Renault at the start of the decade.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of struggle
Verb
  • Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to agree to constrain its nuclear program and over Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Discoverability, most people just use algorithms to find music nowadays.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of use

Phrases Containing work

Browse Nearby Words

wore to a frazzle
work
workability
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Work.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on work

Nglish: Translation of work for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about work

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

'Buck naked' or 'butt naked'?

What does 'etcetera' mean?

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?

Why Is the Letter ‘Z’ Associated With Sleeping?

The Words of the Week - Feb. 13

Why do we call it 'ides of March'?
See More

Popular

See More

More Words You Always Have to Look Up

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Did Orange the Fruit or the Color Come First?
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All