worked out

verb

past tense of work out
1
as in solved
to find an answer for through reasoning by putting our heads together, we were able to work out the problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in developed
to produce or bring about especially by long or repeated effort worked out a compromise between the warring factions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in succeeded
to turn out as planned or desired our plans for a ski vacation just didn't work out

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in calculated
to determine (a value) by doing the necessary mathematical operations after working out the cost of a college education, we've decided that it's never too early to start saving

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 worked out Boise plans to work with the health district to enact the plan, according to city spokesperson Maria Ortega, though specifics are still being worked out. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 21 Oct. 2026 That would have worked out fine when Fochesato tried redeeming his Timeless Ticket for a potential World Series game in 2018, when the Brewers reached the NL Championship Series. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 Obviously, the whole music thing worked out for the Hot 100-topping, Grammy- and Tony-winning singer-songwriter who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025. — Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026 But my rogue, DIY, quick-start method hasn’t always worked out in my favor. — Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026 But this worked out — the Chiefs got closer to their mission. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026 Kevin Mannix worked out of the San Francisco Police Department’s Taraval Station for 27 years before retiring, according to the association in June 2018. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 Many players who were banged up in Sunday’s game were limited or simply worked out on the side of drills. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026 The defense, when all was said and done, worked out fine Sunday, though. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worked out
  1. solved
  2. developed
  3. succeeded
  4. calculated
  5. answered
  6. forged
  7. went
  8. figured
Verb
  • 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
  • So there’s a huge amount of that which was solved with lots of different trickery, and then some VFX.
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of solved
Verb
  • Next, the researchers developed a simplified model that reproduced the observed rotation and current increase.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • How Richard Branson inspired Tan-Gillespie’s career ethos As Tan-Gillespie’s career developed, so did her aspirations.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of developed
Verb
  • He was reelected four years later and was succeeded by one of his cabinet ministers, Dilma Rousseff, in 2010.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • He was reelected four years later and was succeeded by one of his Cabinet ministers, Dilma Rousseff, in 2010.
    — Eléonore Hughes, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of succeeded
Verb
  • Miller’s calculated the percentage chance that all 35 seats in play will go blue or red virtually in real time.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But underneath what seems promising, the beginnings of empathy and maybe healing, there’s something performative and calculated in this fast bond.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of calculated
Verb
  • When Cleveland trimmed the lead to 3-1 in the sixth inning, Tampa answered with a two-run homer by Junior Caminero in the seventh.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Still, many challenging open questions must be answered before the Many Worlds interpretation can be accepted as our best explanation for the measurement problem.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of answered
Verb
  • Billions of years ago, this little corner of the universe contained only a dozen or so primary minerals—raw building blocks forged in the hearts of ancient stars and cast into the cosmos by supernovae.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Sguros paid taxes and utilities at the home in West’s name, and forged his signature to get permits for work at the home, the sheriff's office said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of forged
Verb
  • The company generated $70 billion in free cash flow in the first half of this year, while AMD totaled just over $4 billion and Google parent Alphabet went cash flow negative in the second quarter to fund its buildout.
    — Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Napoli went ahead again in the 83rd minute thanks to a second from McTominay — who also scored twice in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of went
Verb
  • Murphy figured the Irish needed to win or tie just about every inning.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • But nobody figured that the back end of the Dodgers’ rotation would suffer the same fate as the lineup.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of figured

Browse Nearby Words

worked (on)
worked out
worked over
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Worked out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worked%20out. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All