work
1. activity directed toward making or doing something (Freq. 90)
- she checked several points needing further work
• Hypernyms:
activity
• Hyponyms:
wash, washing, lavation, action, job,
operation, procedure, service, shining, polishing, heavy lifting,
housewifery, housework, housekeeping, ironing, busywork, make-work,
logging, loose end, unfinished business, nightwork, paperwork, welfare work,
social service, labor, labour, toil, subbing, substituting,
investigation, investigating, care, attention, aid, tending,
duty, mission, missionary work, spadework, timework, undertaking,
project, task, coursework
2. a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing (Freq. 76)
- 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
• Syn:
piece of work
• Hypernyms:
product, production
• Hyponyms:
follow-up, followup, handicraft, handcraft, handiwork,
handwork, ironwork, lacework, lacquerware, leatherwork, masterpiece,
chef-d'oeuvre, metalwork, openwork, polychrome, silverwork, wicker,
wickerwork, caning, woodwork, work in progress, workpiece, publication
3. the occupation for which you are paid (Freq. 27)
- he is looking for employment
- a lot of people are out of work
• Syn:
employment
• Hypernyms:
occupation, business, job, line of work, line
• Hyponyms:
coaching, coaching job, engagement, booking, ministry,
seafaring, navigation, sailing, workload, work load, piecework,
service, telecommuting, teleworking, services, public service, paper route
4. applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject (especially by reading) (Freq. 11)
- mastering a second language requires a lot of work
- no schools offer graduate study in interior design
• Syn:
study
• Derivationally related forms:
studious (for: study), study (for: study)
• Hypernyms:
learning, acquisition
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 (Freq. 5)
- work equals force times distance
• Topics:
physics, natural philosophy
• Hypernyms:
energy, free energy
6. a place where work is done (Freq. 3)
- he arrived at work early today
• Syn:
workplace
• Hypernyms:
geographic point, geographical point
• Hyponyms:
bakery, bakeshop, bakehouse, beehive, brokerage house,
brokerage, central, telephone exchange, exchange, colliery, pit,
creamery, drill site, farm, fishery, piscary, fish farm,
forge, smithy, gasworks, glassworks, ironworks, job,
lab, laboratory, research lab, research laboratory, science lab, science laboratory,
laundry, location, lumberyard, oyster bed, oyster bank, oyster park,
proving ground, ropewalk, rope yard, roundhouse, shipyard, shop floor,
studio, tannery, test bed, waterworks, workshop, shop
• Part Meronyms:
locker room
7. the total output of a writer or artist (or a substantial part of it)
- he studied the entire Wagnerian oeuvre
- Picasso's work can be divided into periods
• Syn:
oeuvre, body of work
• Hypernyms:
end product, output
• Hyponyms:
writing
1. exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity (Freq. 74)
- I will work hard to improve my grades
- she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor
• Ant:
idle
• Derivationally related forms:
worker
• Hyponyms:
work through, run through, go through, putter, mess around,
potter, tinker, monkey, monkey around, muck about, muck around,
carpenter, clerk, page, wait, waitress, pull one's weight,
electioneer, assist, beaver, beaver away, work at, work on,
plug away, peg away, slog, keep one's nose to the grindstone, keep one's shoulder to the wheel, busy,
occupy, collaborate, join forces, cooperate, get together, volunteer,
specialize, specialise, minister, intern, skipper, boondoggle,
skimp, scant, whore, serve
• Verb Group:
do work
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s
- Somebody ----s PP
- Sam and Sue work
2. be employed (Freq. 62)
- 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
• Syn:
do work
• Derivationally related forms:
worker
• Hyponyms:
serve, bank, fill, take, occupy,
drive, tinker, fink, scab, rat, blackleg,
labor, labour, toil, fag, travail, grind,
drudge, dig, moil, farm, moonlight, job,
man, slave, break one's back, buckle down, knuckle down, subcontract,
turn a trick, freelance
• Verb Group:
put to work
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s
- Somebody ----s PP
3. have an effect or outcome;
often the one desired or expected (Freq. 32)
- The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought
- How does your idea work in practice?
- This method doesn't work
- The breaks of my new car act quickly
- The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water
• Syn:
act
• Derivationally related forms:
workable
• Hypernyms:
succeed, win, come through, bring home the bacon, deliver the goods
• Verb Group:
bring, play, wreak, make for
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
- Something is ----ing PP
4. perform as expected when applied (Freq. 20)
- The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in
- Does this old car still run well?
- This old radio doesn't work anymore
• Syn:
function, operate, go, run
• Ant:
malfunction (for: function)
• Derivationally related forms:
operative (for: operate), operant (for: operate), operation (for: operate), functioning (for: function)
• Hyponyms:
double, roll, run, cut, service, serve
• Verb Group:
run
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
- These cars won't work
5. shape, form, or improve a material (Freq. 9)
- work stone into tools
- process iron
- work the metal
• Syn:
work on, process
• Derivationally related forms:
process (for: process), workable
• Hypernyms:
transform, transmute, transubstantiate
• Hyponyms:
hot-work, coldwork, cold work, overwork, rework,
make over, retread, rack, tool, till
• Verb Group:
shape, form, mold, mould, forge
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
6. give a workout to (Freq. 9)
- Some parents exercise their infants
- My personal trainer works me hard
- work one's muscles
- this puzzle will exercise your mind
• Syn:
exercise, work out
• Derivationally related forms:
workout (for: work out), exercise (for: exercise), exerciser (for: exercise)
• Hypernyms:
put to work
• Hyponyms:
warm up
• Verb Group:
exercise, work out
• Cause:
exercise, work out
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Somebody ----s somebody
- They work the animals
7. proceed along a path (Freq. 5)
- work one's way through the crowd
- make one's way into the forest
• Syn:
make
• Hypernyms:
pass, go through, go across
• Hyponyms:
claw, jostle, bushwhack
• Verb Frames:
- Something is ----ing PP
- Somebody ----s PP
- They work up the hill
8. operate in a certain place, area, or specialty (Freq. 4)
- She works the night clubs
- The salesman works the Midwest
- This artist works mostly in acrylics
• Verb Group:
do work
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Somebody ----s PP
- They work in the city
9. proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity (Freq. 3)
- 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
• Hypernyms:
go, proceed, move
• Verb Group:
make
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s PP
10. move in an agitated manner (Freq. 3)
- His fingers worked with tension
• Hypernyms:
move, displace
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
11. cause to happen or to occur as a consequence (Freq. 3)
- I cannot work a miracle
- wreak havoc
- bring comments
- play a joke
- The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area
• Syn:
bring, play, wreak, make for
• See Also:
bring on (for: bring), bring off (for: bring), bring up (for: bring)
• Derivationally related forms:
workable
• Hypernyms:
make, create
• Verb Group:
act
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Something ----s something
12. cause to work (Freq. 2)
- he is working his servants hard
• Syn:
put to work
• Hypernyms:
use, utilize, utilise, apply, employ
• Hyponyms:
exercise, work out, warm up, cybernate, computerize,
computerise, rack, overwork, exploit
• Verb Group:
do work
• Cause:
do work
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Somebody ----s somebody
- They work the animals
13. prepare for crops (Freq. 2)
- Work the soil
- cultivate the land
• Syn:
cultivate, crop
• Derivationally related forms:
crop (for: crop), cultivation (for: cultivate), cultivator (for: cultivate)
• Topics:
farming, agriculture, husbandry
• Hypernyms:
fix, prepare, set up, ready, gear up, set
• Hyponyms:
overcrop, overcultivate
• Verb Group:
knead
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
14. behave in a certain way when handled
- This dough does not work easily
- The soft metal works well
• Hypernyms:
be
• Verb Group:
knead
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s Adjective/Noun
15. operate in or through
- Work the phones
• Hypernyms:
operate, run
• Verb Group:
function, operate, go, run
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
16. cause to operate or function
- This pilot works the controls
- Can you work an electric drill?
• Derivationally related forms:
workable
• Hypernyms:
manage, deal, care, handle
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
17. provoke or excite
- The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy
• Hypernyms:
stimulate, excite, stir
• Verb Group:
exploit
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s somebody
- Something ----s somebody
18. gratify and charm, usually in order to influence
- the political candidate worked the crowds
• Hypernyms:
capture, enamour, trance, catch, becharm,
enamor, captivate, beguile, charm, fascinate, bewitch,
entrance, enchant
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s somebody
- Something ----s somebody
19. 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
• Hypernyms:
move, displace
• Hyponyms:
stir
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Somebody ----s PP
20. cause to undergo fermentation
- We ferment the grapes for a very long time to achieve high alcohol content
- The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats
• Syn:
ferment
• Derivationally related forms:
fermentation (for: ferment), ferment (for: ferment), fermenting (for: ferment)
• Hypernyms:
convert
• Hyponyms:
vinify
• Verb Group:
sour, turn, ferment
• Cause:
sour, turn, ferment
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Something ----s something
21. have and exert influence or effect
- The artist's work influenced the young painter
- She worked on her friends to support the political candidate
• Syn:
influence, act upon
• Derivationally related forms:
influence (for: influence)
• Hypernyms:
affect, impact, bear upon, bear on, touch on, touch
• Hyponyms:
prejudice, prepossess, imprint, form, militate,
manipulate, pull strings, pull wires, color, colour, swing,
swing over, blackmail, blackjack, pressure, carry, persuade,
sway, get at, fix, dominate
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Somebody ----s somebody
- Something ----s somebody
- Something ----s something
- Somebody ----s PP
22. make uniform
- knead dough
- work the clay until it is soft
• Syn:
knead
• Hypernyms:
manipulate
• Hyponyms:
proof, masticate
• Verb Group:
cultivate, crop
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
23. use or manipulate to one's advantage
- He exploit the new taxation system
- She knows how to work the system
- he works his parents for sympathy
• Syn:
exploit
• Derivationally related forms:
exploitive (for: exploit), exploitative (for: exploit), exploitatory (for: exploit), exploitation (for: exploit), exploiter (for: exploit)
• Hypernyms:
use, utilize, utilise, apply, employ
• Hyponyms:
make hay, play, avail, help, prey,
feed, use
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Somebody ----s somebody
24. go sour or spoil
- The milk has soured
- The wine worked
- The cream has turned--we have to throw it out
• Syn:
sour, turn, ferment
• Derivationally related forms:
fermentation (for: ferment), ferment (for: ferment), souring (for: sour)
• Hypernyms:
change state, turn
• Verb Group:
ferment
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s
25. find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of
- did you solve the problem?
- Work out your problems with the boss
- this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out
- did you get it?
- Did you get my meaning?
- He could not work the math problem
• Syn:
solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick
• Derivationally related forms:
workable, solution (for: solve), solver (for: solve), solvent (for: solve), solving (for: solve)
• Hypernyms:
understand
• Hyponyms:
answer, resolve, riddle, strike, guess,
infer, break
• Entailment:
reason
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
26. make something, usually for a specific function
- She molded the rice balls carefully
- Form cylinders from the dough
- shape a figure
- Work the metal into a sword
• Syn:
shape, form, mold, mould, forge
• Derivationally related forms:
mold (for: mold), form (for: form), formation (for: form), shape (for: shape), shaper (for: shape), shaping (for: shape)
• Hypernyms:
create from raw material, create from raw stuff
• Hyponyms:
carve, swage, upset, chip, layer,
cut out, machine, grind, stamp, puddle, beat,
preform, mound, hill, roughcast, reshape, remold,
sinter, cast, mold, mould, throw, handbuild,
hand-build, coil, sculpt, sculpture, model
• Verb Group:
work on, process
• Verb Frames:
- Somebody ----s something
- Somebody ----s something PP
27. arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion
- The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times
• Hypernyms:
become, go, get
• Verb Frames:
- Something ----s Adjective/Noun
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