workforce

noun

work·​force ˈwərk-ˌfȯrs 

1

: the workers engaged in a specific activity or enterprise

the factory's workforce

2

: the number of workers potentially assignable for any purpose

the nation's workforce

Synonyms

• force
• help
• labor force
• manpower
• personnel
• pool
• staff

Examples of workforce in a Sentence

We have a workforce of 2,400 people.

the office's entire workforce is devoted to a single project right now

Recent Examples on the Web

The right model depends on hiring volume, budget constraints and long-term workforce strategy. —Maks Dzherikhov, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025

Trump has also issued executive orders to slash the workforce. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025

Elon Musk brandishes a chainsaw at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, to underscore how he's slashed the federal workforce. —Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 21 Feb. 2025

Earlier this week, a federal judge allowed Mr. Trump's efforts to slash the federal workforce to continue, declining a request to halt the terminations of government employees en masse as part of a separate lawsuit from a group of labor unions. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for workforce

• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce
• indorse
• midcourse
• outsource
• perforce
• racecourse
• racehorse
• remorse
• seahorse

Kids Definition

workforce

noun

work·​force ˈwərk-ˌfō(ə)rs 

-ˌfȯ(ə)rs

: the workers of a specific activity or business

the factory's workforce