1. Actively engaged in paid work
   "the working population"; "the ratio of working men to unemployed"; "a working mother";
   - on the job
    
2. (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing
   "in working order";
   - running, operative, functional
    
3. 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"
    
4. 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"
    
5. Adopted as a temporary basis for further work
   "a working draft"; "a working hypothesis"

1. A mine or quarry that is being or has been worked
   "The old gold working had been abandoned for decades";
   - workings

1. Perform physical or mental labour, 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"
    
2. Be employed
   "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 working again?"; "My wife never worked"
    
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 intended or designed
   "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"; "The sculptor worked on the clay for hours";
   - work on, process
    
6. Give a workout to
   "My personal trainer works me hard"; "work one's muscles"; "She works out at the gym three times a week";
   - exercise, work out
    
7. Operate in a certain place, area, or speciality
   "This artist works mostly in acrylics"; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"
    
8. Proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity
   "Start from the bottom and work towards the top"; "work your way through every problem or task"; "She was working on her second martini when the guests arrived"
    
9. Cause to operate or function
   "This pilot works the controls"; "Can you work an electric drill?"
    
10. Cause to work
    "he is working his servants hard"; "The new hires were put to work immediately";
    - put to work
     
11. Make something, usually for a specific function
    "Work the metal into a sword";
    - shape, form, mold [N. Amer], mould [Brit, Cdn], forge
     
12. 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
     
13. Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
    "I cannot work a miracle";
    - bring, play, wreak, make for
     
14. Gratify and charm, usually in order to influence
    "the political candidate worked the crowds"
     
15. Move into or onto
    "work the body onto the flatbed truck"; "work the raisins into the dough"; "the student worked a few jokes into his presentation"
     
16. To mix into a homogeneous mass
    "work the clay until it is soft";
    - knead
     
17. Use or manipulate to one's advantage
    "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy";
    - exploit
     
18. 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"; "The detective worked to unriddle the mystery"; "After hours of work, she finally licked the maths problem";
    - solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick [N. Amer, informal], suss [Brit, informal], suss out [Brit, informal], unriddle
     
19. Proceed along a path
    "work one's way through the crowd";
    - make
     
20. Move in an agitated manner
    "His fingers worked with tension"
     
21. (farming) prepare for crops
    "Work the soil";
    - cultivate, crop
     
22. Behave in a certain way when handled
    "This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well"
     
23. Provoke or excite
    "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"
     
24. Cause to undergo fermentation
    "The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats";
    - ferment
     
25. Go sour or spoil
    "The wine worked";
    - sour, turn, ferment
     
26. Arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion
    "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"
     
27. Operate in or through
    "Work the phones"

Derived forms: workings

See also: employed, functioning, impermanent, operative, practical, temporary

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

Antonym: idle

Encyclopedia: Working, Mike