| English Dictionary |
WORK (wrought)
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
Dictionary entry overview: What does work mean?
• WORK (noun)
The noun WORK has 7 senses:
1. activity directed toward making or doing something
2. a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing
3. the occupation for which you are paid
4. applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading)
5. (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
6. a place where work is done
7. the total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it)
Familiarity information: WORK used as a noun is common.
• WORK (verb)
The verb WORK has 27 senses:
1. exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
2. be employed
3. have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected
4. perform as expected when applied
5. shape, form, or improve a material
6. give a workout to
7. proceed along a path
8. operate in a certain place, area, or specialty
9. proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity
10. move in an agitated manner
11. cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
12. cause to work
13. prepare for crops
14. behave in a certain way when handled
15. have and exert influence or effect
16. operate in or through
17. cause to operate or function
18. provoke or excite
19. gratify and charm, usually in order to influence
20. make something, usually for a specific function
21. move into or onto
22. make uniform
23. use or manipulate to one's advantage
24. find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
25. cause to undergo fermentation
26. go sour or spoil
27. arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion
Familiarity information: WORK used as a verb is very familiar.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
Activity directed toward making or doing something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Context example:
she checked several points needing further work
Hypernyms ("work" is a kind of...):
activity (any specific behavior)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "work"):
lavation; wash; washing (the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water))
action (the most important or interesting work or activity in a specific area or field)
job (a damaging piece of work)
job (the performance of a piece of work)
operation; procedure (a process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work)
service (work done by one person or group that benefits another)
polishing; shining (the work of making something smooth and shiny by rubbing or waxing it)
heavy lifting (difficult work)
housewifery (the work of a housewife)
housekeeping; housework (the work of cleaning and running a house)
ironing (the work of using heat to smooth washed clothes in order to remove any wrinkles)
busywork; make-work (active work of little value)
logging (the work of cutting down trees for timber)
loose end; unfinished business (work that is left incomplete)
nightwork (work to be done at night)
paperwork (work that involves handling papers: forms or letters or reports etc.)
social service; welfare work (an organized activity to improve the condition of disadvantaged people in society)
labor; labour; toil (productive work (especially physical work done for wages))
subbing; substituting (working as a substitute for someone who is ill or on leave of absence)
investigating; investigation (the work of inquiring into something thoroughly and systematically)
aid; attention; care; tending (the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something)
duty (work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons)
mission; missionary work (the organized work of a religious missionary)
spadework (dull or routine preliminary work preparing for an undertaking)
timework (work paid for at a rate per unit of time)
labor; project; task; undertaking (any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted)
coursework (work assigned to and done by a student during a course of study; usually it is evaluated as part of the student's grade in the course)
Derivation:
work (cause to work)
work (exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity)
work (operate in a certain place, area, or specialty)
work (proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
piece of work; work
Context example:
erosion is the work of wind or water over time
Hypernyms ("work" is a kind of...):
product; production (an artifact that has been created by someone or some process)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "work"):
follow-up; followup (a piece of work that exploits or builds on earlier work)
handcraft; handicraft; handiwork; handwork (a work produced by hand labor)
ironwork (work made of iron (gratings or rails or railings etc))
lacework (work consisting of (or resembling) lace fabric)
lacquerware (a decorative work made of wood and covered with lacquer and often inlaid with ivory or precious metals)
leatherwork (work made of leather)
chef-d'oeuvre; masterpiece (the most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman)
metalwork (the metal parts of something)
openwork (ornamental work (such as embroidery or latticework) having a pattern of openings)
polychrome (a piece of work composed of or decorated in many colors)
silverwork (decorative work made of silver)
caning; wicker; wickerwork (work made of interlaced slender branches (especially willow branches))
woodwork (work made of wood; especially moldings or stairways or furniture)
work in progress (a piece of work that is not yet finished)
workpiece (work consisting of a piece of metal being machined)
publication (a copy of a printed work offered for distribution)
Derivation:
work (exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity)
work (have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The occupation for which you are paid
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
employment; work
Context example:
a lot of people are out of work
Hypernyms ("work" is a kind of...):
business; job; line; line of work; occupation (the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "work"):
coaching; coaching job (the job of a professional coach)
booking; engagement (employment for performers or performing groups that lasts for a limited period of time)
ministry (the work of a minister of religion)
navigation; sailing; seafaring (the work of a sailor)
work load; workload (work that a person is expected to do in a specified time)
piecework (work paid for according to the quantity produced)
service (employment in or work for another)
telecommuting; teleworking (employment at home while communicating with the workplace by phone or fax or modem)
services (performance of duties or provision of space and equipment helpful to others)
public service (employment within a government system (especially in the civil service))
paper route (the job of delivering newspapers regularly)
Derivation:
work (cause to work)
work (be employed)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Synonyms:
study; work
Context example:
no schools offer graduate study in interior design
Hypernyms ("work" is a kind of...):
acquisition; learning (the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge)
Sense 5
Meaning:
(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
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Context example:
work equals force times distance
Hypernyms ("work" is a kind of...):
energy; free energy ((physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs)
Domain category:
natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)
Sense 6
Meaning:
A place where work is done
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
work; workplace
Context example:
he arrived at work early today
Hypernyms ("work" is a kind of...):
geographic point; geographical point (a point on the surface of the Earth)
Meronyms (parts of "work"):
locker room (a room (as at an athletic facility or workplace) where you can change clothes and which contains lockers for the temporary storage of your clothing and personal possessions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "work"):
bakehouse; bakery; bakeshop (a workplace where baked goods (breads and cakes and pastries) are produced or sold)
beehive (any workplace where people are very busy)
brokerage; brokerage house (place where a broker conducts his business)
central; exchange; telephone exchange (a workplace that serves as a telecommunications facility where lines from telephones can be connected together to permit communication)
colliery; pit (a workplace consisting of a coal mine plus all the buildings and equipment connected with it)
creamery (a workplace where dairy products (butter and cheese etc.) are produced or sold)
drill site (workplace that is the site of a drill hole)
exchange (a workplace for buying and selling; open only to members)
farm (workplace consisting of farm buildings and cultivated land as a unit)
fishery; piscary (a workplace where fish are caught and processed and sold)
fish farm (a workplace (usually a pond) where fish are raised for food)
forge; smithy (a workplace where metal is worked by heating and hammering)
gasworks (the workplace where coal gas is manufactured)
glassworks (a workplace where glass is made)
ironworks (the workplace where iron is smelted or where iron goods are made)
job (a workplace; as in the expression 'on the job')
lab; laboratory; research lab; research laboratory; science lab; science laboratory (a workplace for the conduct of scientific research)
laundry (workplace where clothes are washed and ironed)
location (a workplace away from a studio at which some or all of a movie may be made)
lumberyard (a workplace where lumber is stocked for sale)
oyster bank; oyster bed; oyster park (a workplace where oysters are bred and grown)
proving ground (a workplace for testing new equipment or ideas)
rope yard; ropewalk (workplace consisting of a long narrow path or shed where rope is made)
roundhouse (workplace consisting of a circular building for repairing locomotives)
shipyard (a workplace where ships are built or repaired)
shop floor (workplace consisting of the part of a factory housing the machines)
studio (workplace for the teaching or practice of an art)
studio (workplace consisting of a room or building where movies or television shows or radio programs are produced and recorded)
tannery (workplace where skins and hides are tanned)
test bed (a place equipped with instruments for testing (e.g. engines or machinery or computer programs etc.) under working conditions)
waterworks (workplace where water is stored and purified and distributed for a community)
shop; workshop (small workplace where handcrafts or manufacturing are done)
Sense 7
Meaning:
The total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
body of work; oeuvre; work
Context example:
Picasso's work can be divided into periods
Hypernyms ("work" is a kind of...):
end product; output (final product; the things produced)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "work"):
writing ((usually plural) the collected work of an author)
| Conjugation: |
... he / she / it works Past simple: worked
Past participle: worked
-ing form: working
Sense 1
Meaning:
Exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor
Verb group:
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
go through; run through; work through (apply thoroughly; think through)
mess around; monkey; monkey around; muck about; muck around; potter; putter; tinker (do random, unplanned work or activities or spend time idly)
carpenter (work as a carpenter)
clerk (work as a clerk, as in the legal business)
page (work as a page)
wait; waitress (serve as a waiter or waitress in a restaurant)
pull one's weight (do one's share in a common task)
electioneer (work actively for a political candidate or a party)
assist (act as an assistant in a subordinate or supportive function)
beaver; beaver away (work hard on something)
work at; work on (to exert effort in order to do, make, or perform something)
keep one's nose to the grindstone; keep one's shoulder to the wheel; peg away; plug away; slog (work doggedly or persistently)
collaborate; cooperate; get together; join forces (work together on a common enterprise of project)
volunteer (do volunteer work)
specialise; specialize (devote oneself to a special area of work)
minister (work as a minister)
intern (work as an intern)
skipper (work as the skipper on a vessel)
boondoggle (do useless, wasteful, or trivial work)
scant; skimp (work hastily or carelessly; deal with inadequately and superficially)
whore (work as a prostitute)
serve (devote (part of) one's life or efforts to, as of countries, institutions, or ideas)
work (operate in a certain place, area, or specialty)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Sentence example:
Sam and Sue work
Antonym:
idle (be idle; exist in a changeless situation)
Derivation:
work (activity directed toward making or doing something)
work (a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing)
worker (sterile member of a colony of social insects that forages for food and cares for the larvae)
worker (a person who works at a specific occupation)
worker (a person who acts and gets things done)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Be employed
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
do work; work
Context example:
She works as a waitress to put herself through college
Verb group:
put to work; work (cause to work)
work (exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity)
work (operate in a certain place, area, or specialty)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
serve (do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function)
bank (be in the banking business)
fill; occupy; take (assume, as of positions or roles)
drive (work as a driver)
tinker (work as a tinker or tinkerer)
serve (do military service)
blackleg; fink; rat; scab (take the place of work of someone on strike)
dig; drudge; fag; grind; labor; labour; moil; toil; travail (work hard)
farm (be a farmer; work as a farmer)
moonlight (work a second job, usually after hours)
job (work occasionally)
man (take charge of a certain job; occupy a certain work place)
break one's back; buckle down; knuckle down; slave (work very hard, like a slave)
subcontract (work under a subcontract; engage in a subcontract)
turn a trick (have a customer, of a prostitute)
freelance (work independently and on temporary contracts rather than for a long-term employer)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
work (the occupation for which you are paid)
worker (a person who works at a specific occupation)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
act; work
Context example:
The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
bring home the bacon; come through; deliver the goods; succeed; win (attain success or reach a desired goal)
Verb group:
bring; make for; play; work; wreak (cause to happen or to occur as a consequence)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Derivation:
work (a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing)
workable (capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Perform as expected when applied
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
function; go; operate; run; work
Context example:
This old radio doesn't work anymore
Verb group:
run (be operating, running or functioning)
work (operate in or through)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
double (do double duty; serve two purposes or have two functions)
roll (begin operating or running)
run (be operating, running or functioning)
cut (function as a cutting instrument)
serve; service (be used by; as of a utility)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sentence example:
These cars won't work
Sense 5
Meaning:
Shape, form, or improve a material
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Synonyms:
Context example:
work the metal
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
transform; transmute; transubstantiate (change or alter in form, appearance, or nature)
Verb group:
forge; form; mold; mould; shape; work (make something, usually for a specific function)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
hot-work (roll, press, forge, or shape (metal) while hot)
cold work; coldwork (shape (metal) without heat)
overwork (use too much)
make over; retread; rework (use again in altered form)
rack (work on a rack)
tool (work with a tool)
till (work land as by ploughing, harrowing, and manuring, in order to make it ready for cultivation)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
workable (capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Give a workout to
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
Synonyms:
Context example:
this puzzle will exercise your mind
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
put to work; work (cause to work)
Cause:
exercise; work out (do physical exercise)
Verb group:
exercise; work out (do physical exercise)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
warm up (cause to do preliminary exercises so as to stretch the muscles)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Sentence example:
They work the animals
Sense 7
Meaning:
Proceed along a path
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
make; work
Context example:
make one's way into the forest
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
pass (go across or through)
Verb group:
work (proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
claw (move as if by clawing, seizing, or digging)
jostle (make one's way by jostling, pushing, or shoving)
bushwhack (cut one's way through the woods or bush)
Sentence frames:
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP
Sentence example:
They work up the hill
Sense 8
Meaning:
Operate in a certain place, area, or specialty
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
This artist works mostly in acrylics
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
work (exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity)
Verb group:
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP
Sentence example:
They work in the city
Derivation:
work (activity directed toward making or doing something)
Sense 9
Meaning:
Proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
Start from the bottom and work towards the top
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
go; move; proceed (follow a procedure or take a course)
Verb group:
make; work (proceed along a path)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
work (activity directed toward making or doing something)
Sense 10
Meaning:
Move in an agitated manner
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context example:
His fingers worked with tension
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 11
Meaning:
Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Synonyms:
bring; make for; play; work; wreak
Context example:
The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
create; make (make or cause to be or to become)
Verb group:
act; work (have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
workable (capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are)
Sense 12
Meaning:
Cause to work
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
put to work; work
Context example:
he is working his servants hard
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
apply; employ; use; utilise; utilize (put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose)
Cause:
Verb group:
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
exercise; work; work out (give a workout to)
warm up (cause to do preliminary exercises so as to stretch the muscles)
computerise; computerize; cybernate (control a function, process, or creation by a computer)
rack (put on a rack and pinion)
exploit; overwork (work excessively hard)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Sentence example:
They work the animals
Derivation:
work (the occupation for which you are paid)
work (activity directed toward making or doing something)
Sense 13
Meaning:
Prepare for crops
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Synonyms:
Context example:
cultivate the land
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
fix; gear up; prepare; ready; set; set up (make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc)
Verb group:
Domain category:
agriculture; farming; husbandry (the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
overcrop; overcultivate (to exhaust by excessive cultivation)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 14
Meaning:
Behave in a certain way when handled
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
The soft metal works well
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))
Verb group:
Sentence frame:
Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Sense 15
Meaning:
Have and exert influence or effect
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
Context example:
She worked on her friends to support the political candidate
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
affect; bear on; bear upon; impact; touch; touch on (have an effect upon)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
prejudice; prepossess (influence (somebody's) opinion in advance)
form; imprint (establish or impress firmly in the mind)
militate (have force or influence; bring about an effect or change)
manipulate; pull strings; pull wires (influence or control shrewdly or deviously)
color; colour (modify or bias)
swing; swing over (influence decisively)
blackjack; blackmail; pressure (exert pressure on someone through threats)
carry; persuade; sway (win approval or support for)
get at (influence by corruption)
fix (influence an event or its outcome by illegal means)
dominate (be in control)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s PP
Sense 16
Meaning:
Operate in or through
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
Work the phones
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
operate; run (direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.)
Verb group:
function; go; operate; run; work (perform as expected when applied)
work (cause to operate or function)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 17
Meaning:
Cause to operate or function
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
Can you work an electric drill?
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
care; deal; handle; manage (be in charge of, act on, or dispose of)
Verb group:
work (operate in or through)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
workable (capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are)
Sense 18
Meaning:
Provoke or excite
Classified under:
Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling
Context example:
The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
excite; stimulate; stir (stir feelings in)
Verb group:
exploit; work (use or manipulate to one's advantage)
work (gratify and charm, usually in order to influence)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Sense 19
Meaning:
Gratify and charm, usually in order to influence
Classified under:
Verbs of feeling
Context example:
the political candidate worked the crowds
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
becharm; beguile; bewitch; captivate; capture; catch; charm; enamor; enamour; enchant; entrance; fascinate; trance (attract; cause to be enamored)
Verb group:
work (provoke or excite)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Sense 20
Meaning:
Make something, usually for a specific function
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Synonyms:
forge; form; mold; mould; shape; work
Context example:
Work the metal into a sword
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
create from raw material; create from raw stuff (make from scratch)
Verb group:
process; work; work on (shape, form, or improve a material)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
carve (form by carving)
swage; upset (form metals with a swage)
chip (form by chipping)
layer (make or form a layer)
cut out (form and create by cutting out)
machine (turn, shape, mold, or otherwise finish by machinery)
grind (shape or form by grinding)
stamp (form or cut out with a mold, form, or die)
puddle (subject to puddling or form by puddling)
beat (shape by beating)
preform (form or shape beforehand or determine the shape of beforehand)
preform (form into a shape resembling the final, desired one)
mound (form into a rounded elevation)
hill (form into a hill)
roughcast (shape roughly)
remold; reshape (shape again or shape differently)
sinter (cause (ores or powdery metals) to become a coherent mass by heating without melting)
cast; mold; mould (form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold)
throw (make on a potter's wheel)
coil; hand-build; handbuild (make without a potter's wheel)
sculpt; sculpture (create by shaping stone or wood or any other hard material)
model; mold; mould (form in clay, wax, etc)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
Sense 21
Meaning:
Move into or onto
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Context example:
work the body onto the flatbed truck
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
stir (mix or add by stirring)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP
Sense 22
Meaning:
Make uniform
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
knead; work
Context example:
work the clay until it is soft
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
manipulate (hold something in one's hands and move it)
Verb group:
crop; cultivate; work (prepare for crops)
work (behave in a certain way when handled)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
proof (knead to reach proper lightness)
masticate (grind and knead)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Sense 23
Meaning:
Use or manipulate to one's advantage
Classified under:
Verbs of eating and drinking
Synonyms:
exploit; work
Context example:
he works his parents for sympathy
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
apply; employ; use; utilise; utilize (put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose)
Verb group:
work (provoke or excite)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
make hay (turn to one's advantage)
play (use to one's advantage)
feed; prey (profit from in an exploitatory manner)
use (seek or achieve an end by using to one's advantage)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Sense 24
Meaning:
Find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Synonyms:
figure out; lick; puzzle out; solve; work; work out
Context example:
He could not work the math problem
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
understand (know and comprehend the nature or meaning of)
"Work" entails doing...:
reason (think logically)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
answer; resolve (understand the meaning of)
riddle (explain a riddle)
strike (arrive at after reckoning, deliberating, and weighing)
guess; infer (guess correctly; solve by guessing)
answer (give the correct answer or solution to)
break (find the solution or key to)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
workable (capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are)
Sense 25
Meaning:
Cause to undergo fermentation
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
ferment; work
Context example:
The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
convert (change the nature, purpose, or function of something)
Cause:
ferment; sour; turn; work (go sour or spoil)
Verb group:
ferment; sour; turn; work (go sour or spoil)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "work"):
vinify (convert a juice into wine by fermentation)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sense 26
Meaning:
Go sour or spoil
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
Context example:
The cream has turned--we have to throw it out
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
change state; turn (undergo a transformation or a change of position or action)
Verb group:
ferment; work (cause to undergo fermentation)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Sense 27
Meaning:
Arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times
Hypernyms (to "work" is one way to...):
become; get; go (enter or assume a certain state or condition)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Context examples
I feel sure it will work you more misery if you listen to it.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
Then work back to a normal diet.
(Nausea and Vomiting, NIH)
Your muscles help you move and help your body work.
(Muscle Disorders, NIH)
A type of disease in which cells of the central nervous system stop working or die.
(Neurodegenerative disorder, NCI Dictionary)
Then, one day, she come to me. 'Charley,' she says, 'how do you like to work for me? You drive dogs, make camp, travel with me.'
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
Aunt Em dropped her work and came to the door.
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
Measuring the amount of MUC-1 in the blood may help to find out how well cancer treatment is working or if cancer has come back.
(MUC-1, NCI Dictionary)
To prevent it, doctors used to prescribe antibiotics before dental work or certain surgeries.
(Mitral Valve Prolapse, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
No one knows how these things are worked.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I'd like to see how it works.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Who has no heart, has no heels." (Albanian proverb)
"Give a man some cloth and he'll ask for some lining." (Arabic proverb)
"A good deed is worth gold." (Dutch proverb)