work
n 1: activity directed toward making or doing something; "she
checked several points needing further work"
2: something produced or accomplished through the effort or
activity or agency of a person or thing: "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}]
3: the occupation for which you are paid; "he is looking for a
job"; "a lot of people are out of work" [syn: {job}, {employment}]
4: applying the mind to learning and understanding a subject
(especially by reading); "mastering a second language
requires a lot of work"; "no schools offer graduate study
in interior design" [syn: {study}]
5: 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}]
6: a place where work is done; "he arrived at work early today"
[syn: {workplace}]
7: (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; "work equals force
times distance"
v 1: exert oneself by doing mental or physical work [ant: {idle}]
2: be employed; "Is your husband working again?" "My wife never
worked" [syn: {do work}]
3: have a desired effect; do the trick; "This method doesn't
work"; "The breaks of my new car act quickly" [syn: {act}]
4: work in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a
specific function; "He is a herpetologist; "She is our
resident philosopher"; "She works as a waitress to put
herself through law school" [syn: {be}, {follow}]
5: function properly; "The washing machine won't go unless it's
plugged in" [syn: {function}, {operate}, {go}, {run}]
[ant: {malfunction}]
6: shape, form, or improve something: "work stone into tools";
"process iron" [syn: {work on}, {process}]
7: give a work-out to: "Some parents exercise their infants"
[syn: {exercise}]
8: work one's way through a problem or task; "Start from the
bottom and work towards the top"
9: operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works
the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This
artist works mostly in acrylics"
10: ferment; "What is working in the minds of the people?" [syn:
{operate}]
11: pick one's way [syn: {make one's way}, {airt}, {work one's
way}]
12: cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "wreak havoc";
"bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief
to the drought-stricken area" [syn: {bring}, {play}, {wreak},
{make for}]
13: move in ran agitated manner; "His fingers worked with
tension"
14: cause to work; "he is working his servants hard" [syn: {put
to work}]
15: prepare for crops, of soil [syn: {cultivate}, {crop}]
16: deal with verbally or in some form of artistic expression;
"This book deals with incest"; "The course covered all of
Western Civilization" [syn: {cover}, {treat}, {handle}, {plow},
{deal}, {address}]
17: make uniform, as of dough or clay [syn: {knead}]
18: find the solution to (a problem or question):"did you solve
the problem?"; understand the meaning of; "did you get
it?"; "Did you get my meaning?" [syn: {solve}, {figure
out}, {puzzle out}, {lick}]