work 1 of 2

verb

ˈwərk How to pronounce work (audio)
Definition of worknext
1
as in to cause
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind) this new drug can really work wonders

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to solve
to find an answer for through reasoning finally figured out how to work the math problem

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3
as in to serve
to have a certain purpose the human kidneys work as a filtering system for the blood

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4
as in to perform
to produce a desired effect this headache remedy takes half an hour to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to drive
to set or keep in motion this pump is worked by hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to operate
to control the mechanical operation of show me how to work the machine

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7
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort the organization has worked for years to raise people's awareness of human rights issues

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in to use
to take unfair advantage of a young boy who worked his aunt for all she was worth in toys and candy when she visited once a year

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work

2 of 2

noun

1
as in composition
a literary, musical, or artistic production unfortunately, many of her works are now out of print

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2
as in production
something produced by physical or intellectual effort the new Web application is the work of a pair of young but highly gifted programmers

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3
as in job
the action for which a person or thing is specially fitted or used or for which a thing exists the work of a movie director is to tell a story through a series of striking images

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4
as in effort
the active use of energy in producing a result put a lot of work into the project

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in profession
the activity by which one regularly makes a living what line of work are you in?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
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

Example 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
This year, nothing is working well — although the defense did turn in a gem for three quarters in the Week 3 loss at Buffalo, including five takeaways. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026 Williamson was presented with the award by Dawson’s Creek star Joshua Jackson and TV writer-producer Julie Plec, who worked with frequent collaborator Williamson, Jackson and Berlanti on Dawson’s Creek. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
Schur noted that much work remains to harness that energy and turn it into real change. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026 The Nittany Lions were forced to punt on their opening drive, and OC Chip Kelly's Wildcats offense went right back to work. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for work
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work
  1. cause
  2. solve
  3. serve
  4. perform
  5. drive
  6. operate
  7. struggle
  8. use
Verb
  • Davide Sgariboldi, general manager at Euroitalia, said that causes excitement.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Some survive because treatment works, not because the cancer was detected earlier; others survive because they were overdiagnosed (diagnosed with a cancer not destined to cause symptoms or death).
    — H. Gilbert Welch, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of cause
Verb
  • The official list still remains peppered with unsolved problems, although OpenAI recently announced that its unreleased internal AI model has solved more than 100 open questions.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • These tools enable our officers to identify crime vehicles with precision, and ALPR is assisting in reducing crimes that were previously very challenging to solve, like auto burglaries.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of solve
Verb
  • Its winding path — and its goose motif — serve as the inspiration for Fortunae, Ginori 1735’s latest collection of collectible porcelain and home decor.
    — Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Semafor reported this week that the Federal Reserve has been probing how banks that lend to private-credit firms vet the loans that serve as their collateral, an admission that has spooked investors on Wall Street and around the world.
    — Ellen DiMauro, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of serve
Verb
  • During the themed show, the dancers performed to many of Carey’s songs from over the years.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026
  • His new project, Flop, aims to create a spot market for computing power, where participants are rewarded with Flop tokens for providing GPUs and performing AI inference.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of perform
Verb
  • The reason for that is the unquenching market need for solid factual projects that can both be popular on linear channels and drive older viewers to streaming services.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The urgency of their push comes as major European companies undergo huge job losses — Volkswagen plans to cut 100,000 workers — which experts have said could drive political upheaval.
    — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of drive
Verb
  • Unitary status means the district is operating fairly and providing equal opportunities to all students.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Europe’s ability to meet rising electricity demand, including the power needed to operate AI data centers, Andersen notes, depends on solving its energy dependency problem.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of operate
Verb
  • At that time, the company’s Fisher-Price, Barbie and American Girl brands were struggling to connect with changing consumer tastes and Mattel was reeling from the recent bankruptcy of Toys R Us.
    — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • But, like many Universities, Drexel has been struggling financially, in part due to declining enrollment.
    — Andrew Stelzer, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggle
Verb
  • The setback sparked wide speculation that Sánchez would move forward the general election and use the momentum on the housing issue against his right-wing opponents.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Although the problem warrants a systemic fix, the best short-term solution is for hospitals to create more nuanced documentation tools, and for clinicians to exercise judgment when using them.
    — Leah Pierson, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of use

Phrases Containing work

Browse Nearby Words

wore to a frazzle
work
workability
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Cite this Entry

“Work.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on work

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about work

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