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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
At an outdoor jazz night held at a brewery in Little Rock, Jones worked the crowd between visits to polling sites and a high school football homecoming game on a campaign that has seen millions of dollars in outside spending by Republicans. — Stephen Fowler, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026 Some of those were hospitalized, living overseas or working outside their voting areas. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Noun
And as routine tasks are automated, workers could lose opportunities to develop the experience needed for more demanding work. — Lindsay Dodgson, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026 Before the game, first responders were honored and both coaches made sure to express their gratitude for the swift and effective work of those who protected the communities. — Caleb Otte, Los Angeles Times, 24 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
  • North of the center near Kakinada, the storm could cause about 3 to 5 feet of storm surge, where onshore winds pile water against the coast.
    — Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Although officials have not released details about the cause of death, scientists agree that if it was caused by ordinary plague, the wider world has little to worry about.
    — Faye Flam, Scientific American, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of cause
Verb
  • Its sales team is trying to solve every problem in front of them with the tool the company sells, and that tool is a language model.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The crows solved the task the same way primates do, using the same mathematical logic despite having a very different brain structure.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of solve
Verb
  • In other words, the conservation objective has to come first, with the market serving as a tool rather than becoming the goal itself.
    — Victoria Malloy, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Hands-on flight research Astro will also serve as an engineering research platform at Florida Poly.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of serve
Verb
  • The opportunity now is to build on these lessons through closer cooperation across governments, industry, technology and capital in order to create energy systems that can perform reliably as demand and complexity continue to grow.
    — H.E. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • But students in more affluent schools, where Asian American students are concentrated, must perform better on the standardized exam to enter the lottery.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of perform
Verb
  • Zuckerberg and Wang want Muse Wonder and the more powerful Muse Wonder Full to drive Muse, Meta’s personal AI agent, which can act on people’s behalf.
    — Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • To help banish the endless procrastination, National Geographic’s 2027 list of 25 must-visit destinations for the year ahead is one of its most timely and experience-driven recommendations yet.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of drive
Verb
  • Betsy Smith, the head of the Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit which operates the park, cheered the passage of the bill.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Such facilities successfully operate today, prioritizing community leadership, transparency, compensation and quiet all at once.
    — Neil Chatterjee, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of operate
Verb
  • But even when Antetokounmpo was on the court in the second half, the Heat struggled.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The high prices are adding to pain for cattle ranchers in western states, who were already struggling with persistent drought.
    — Anna King, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggle
Verb
  • All three said West Point appears to be circumventing the judge's ruling by using a different justification to continue to enforce its speech rules.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Behind the scenes, Muse uses a collection of digital notes and instructions to guide its personality, actions and memory, all of which can be reviewed, edited and deleted.
    — Marty Swant, Washington Post, 27 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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