work 1 of 2

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as in to serve
to have a certain purpose the human kidneys work as a filtering system for the blood

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in to perform
to produce a desired effect this headache remedy takes half an hour to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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as in to operate
to control the mechanical operation of show me how to work the machine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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work

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noun

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as in composition
a literary, musical, or artistic production unfortunately, many of her works are now out of print

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in factory
works plural a building or set of buildings for the manufacturing of goods a glass works where high quality glassware is made

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun work contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of work are drudgery, grind, labor, toil, and travail. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

In what contexts can drudgery take the place of work?

The meanings of drudgery and work largely overlap; however, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than work?

The synonyms grind and work are sometimes interchangeable, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When could labor be used to replace work?

The words labor and work are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When is toil a more appropriate choice than work?

The words toil and work can be used in similar contexts, but toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When is it sensible to use travail instead of work?

Although the words travail and work have much in common, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of work
Verb
That delay, similar to someone running late to work after frantically bobbing and weaving through a crowded city street, is one of the leading contributors to errors in navigation systems. Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024 The electric thrill of Sichuan pepper works well in sweet dishes, too. Megan Zhang, Saveur, 13 Nov. 2024
Noun
In the corner of one work is a thought balloon marking 33 Union Square where Valerie Solano rode up the elevator and shot Andy Warhol on June 3, 1968. Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024 Officials’ work was built on years of beefing up election procedures, audits and security, and coordinating with nonprofit advisers. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for work 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work
Verb
  • Exposure to high concentrations can cause people to lose consciousness and can lead to long-term effects such as headaches, poor attention span, poor memory and poor motor function, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
    Noelle Phillips, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
  • An ankle injury caused Williams to miss two games last season — October losses to the Vikings and the Bengals — after not practicing those weeks.
    Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Apparently, Comedy Central tried to solve its issue by going to Mulaney, not once but twice.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
  • Asked if South Carolina should expand Medicaid, Simmer said the challenges South Carolina and other states confront are worsened by health care provider shortages and structural inequities too large and complicated for Medicaid expansion alone to solve.
    Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Drop the smoking rosemary sprig into the drink and serve.
    Jeff Burkhart, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • The onions served at the McDonald’s locations are past their shelf life and no longer for sale.
    Jonel Aleccia, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Students from College of Adaptive Arts will sing the opening National Anthem and perform a special cheer routine during the game.
    Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 16 Nov. 2024
  • Latin music icon Marc Anthony performed and executive produced a special segment with salsa great Sergio George to pay homage to the tropical music genre.
    Nicole Acevedo, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • In 2021, Gonzalez-Nunez allegedly drove a car in a sideshow while his girlfriend hung out of the window with an miniature AK-47.
    Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Micaela Hanning, Crean Lutheran: The transfer from Calvary Chapel is an explosive point guard who can strike from the perimeter and drive to the basket.
    Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 7 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Suncor Energy operates the only refinery in Colorado and the facility processes 98,000 barrels of crude oil a day.
    Noelle Phillips, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
  • The crash happened in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2023, when a Cruise vehicle operating without a driver ran over a woman who was thrown into its path.
    Jason Green, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Historians are struggling to recover their inexpressible secrets.
    Erin Maglaque, The New York Review of Books, 15 Nov. 2024
  • Thus, consumption of THCV can be beneficial for those who struggle with weight gain and/or food craving.
    Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The groups’ American Electorate Voter Poll — using a larger Latino sample and additional techniques for polling Hispanics — flipped that outcome, with Harris winning 56% of Latino men to Trump’s 43%.
    Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
  • One bird tutor was then released into each group, so that the flock mates could learn to use one solution over another.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near work

Cite this Entry

“Work.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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