'Work' definitions:

Activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work"

A product 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: work, piece of work]

The occupation for which you are paid; "he is looking for employment"; "a lot of people are out of work" [syn: employment, work]

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, work]

(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"

A place where work is done; "he arrived at work early today" [syn: workplace, work]

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, work, body of work]

Exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity; "I will work hard to improve my grades"; "she worked hard for better living conditions for the poor" [ant: idle, laze, slug, stagnate]

Be employed; "Is your husband working again?"; "My wife never worked"; "Do you want to work after the age of 60?"; "She never did any work because she inherited a lot of money"; "She works as a waitress to put herself through college" [syn: work, do work]

Have an effect or outcome; often the one desired or expected; "The voting process doesn't work as well as people thought"; "How does your idea work in practice?"; "This method doesn't work"; "The breaks of my new car act quickly"; "The medicine works only if you take it with a lot of water" [syn: work, act]

Perform as expected when applied; "The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in"; "Does this old car still run well?"; "This old radio doesn't work anymore" [syn: function, work, operate, go, run] [ant: malfunction, misfunction]

Shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal" [syn: work, work on, process]

Give a workout to; "Some parents exercise their infants"; "My personal trainer works me hard"; "work one's muscles"; "this puzzle will exercise your mind" [syn: exercise, work, work out]

Proceed along a path; "work one's way through the crowd"; "make one's way into the forest" [syn: make, work]

Operate in a certain place, area, or specialty; "She works the night clubs"; "The salesman works the Midwest"; "This artist works mostly in acrylics"

Proceed towards a goal or along a path or through an activity; "work your way through every problem or task"; "She was working on her second martini when the guests arrived"; "Start from the bottom and work towards the top"

Move in an agitated manner; "His fingers worked with tension"

Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence; "I cannot work a miracle"; "wreak havoc"; "bring comments"; "play a joke"; "The rain brought relief to the drought-stricken area" [syn: bring, work, play, wreak, make for]

Cause to work; "he is working his servants hard" [syn: work, put to work]

Prepare for crops; "Work the soil"; "cultivate the land" [syn: cultivate, crop, work]

Behave in a certain way when handled; "This dough does not work easily"; "The soft metal works well"

Have and exert influence or effect; "The artist's work influenced the young painter"; "She worked on her friends to support the political candidate" [syn: influence, act upon, work]

Operate in or through; "Work the phones"

Cause to operate or function; "This pilot works the controls"; "Can you work an electric drill?"

Provoke or excite; "The rock musician worked the crowd of young girls into a frenzy"

Gratify and charm, usually in order to influence; "the political candidate worked the crowds"

Make something, usually for a specific function; "She molded the rice balls carefully"; "Form cylinders from the dough"; "shape a figure"; "Work the metal into a sword" [syn: shape, form, work, mold, mould, forge]

Move into or onto; "work the raisins into the dough"; "the student worked a few jokes into his presentation"; "work the body onto the flatbed truck"

Make uniform; "knead dough"; "work the clay until it is soft" [syn: knead, work]

Use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy" [syn: exploit, work]

Find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of; "did you solve the problem?"; "Work out your problems with the boss"; "this unpleasant situation isn't going to work itself out"; "did you get it?"; "Did you get my meaning?"; "He could not work the math problem" [syn: solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick, work]

Cause to undergo fermentation; "We ferment the grapes for a very long time to achieve high alcohol content"; "The vintner worked the wine in big oak vats" [syn: ferment, work]

Go sour or spoil; "The milk has soured"; "The wine worked"; "The cream has turned--we have to throw it out" [syn: sour, turn, ferment, work]

Arrive at a certain condition through repeated motion; "The stitches of the hem worked loose after she wore the skirt many times"