1
: the manner of functioning or operating : operation
—usually used in plural
the inner workings of the government
2
: an excavation or group of excavations made in mining, quarrying, or tunneling
—usually used in plural
1
: engaged in work especially for wages or a salary
a working journalist
a working mother
2
: adequate to permit work to be done
a working majority
3
: assumed or adopted to permit or facilitate further work or activity
a working draft
4
: spent at work
working life
5
: being in use or operation
a working farm
Examples of working in a Sentence
Noun
an article about the byzantine workings of the auction business for high-end art
Adjective
There is a good working relationship between the departments.
the working parts of the machine
Recent Examples on the Web
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
Follow up with breakout sessions tailored to skill-building and critical working sessions, from mastering critical tools to perfecting sales pitches.
—Linnea Geiss, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Kweilin Ellingrud, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Newsweek has contacted the Saint Paul Police Department for comment and additional information via email outside of standard working hours on Thursday.
—Joe Edwards, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for working
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Noun
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by email with a request for comment outside of working hours.
—Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
Follow up with breakout sessions tailored to skill-building and critical working sessions, from mastering critical tools to perfecting sales pitches.
—Linnea Geiss, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Over the course of a 30-year career, that difference adds up to about half a million dollars in lower earnings for a working American woman.
—Kweilin Ellingrud, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Newsweek has contacted the Saint Paul Police Department for comment and additional information via email outside of standard working hours on Thursday.
—Joe Edwards, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for working
Articles Related to working
Cite this Entry
“Working.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/working. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
working
2 of 2 adjective1
a
: doing work especially for a living
working people
b
: being in an operating state
a working model
2
: good enough to allow work to be done
a working majority
a working arrangement
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