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work

work

1.0
A place where people do their job
  • noun
  • /wɜrk/
translation icon : trabajo
  • I walk the same road to work each Monday.
  • go to work
  • work environment
  • home from work

I walk the same road to work each Monday.

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Examples

  • Ever consider another line of work?

  • And then I go to work.

  • I used to walk to work every single day.

  • I would wear them to work or for a night out.

  • And what's your life like outside of work at that time?

  • Let's get back to work.

  • Hey, I think you're late for work.

  • The care worker from Norwich, Norfolk, was returning to work after a career break for childcare.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Jamie is a citizen of State A, but commutes to work each day in State B.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I drive to the office for work every weekday morning.

Synonyms

job
vswork
1.0

Work that you do regularly to earn money

is the place where a paid position is carried out rather than the position
workplace
vswork
352 1.7

A place where people do their jobs

is the place where one does one's job or employment
works
vswork
  • UK
40 3.9

A large place with buildings and machines where materials are made or treated

is the ordinary location of employment rather than a large industrial complex
workroom
vswork
20 2.2

A room where someone makes things by hand or paints

is the broader site for a job, not only a single room
workspace
vswork
19 2.7

An area or room where you do your work, for example at an office desk

is the general place for a job rather than only a room
worksite
vswork
4 2.8

A place where people build or repair buildings and machines

is the everyday place for jobs, not limited to industrial sites

Antonyms

1.0

To or at the place where someone lives

Idioms

680 1.0

You are in the place where you do your job

124 1.8

Without a job and trying to find one

13 8.4

Try very hard for a long time to do something

8 3.4

Spend a lot of time doing hard, tiring tasks

6 6.1

To make something much better using skill and new ideas

Do very hard, long jobs until you are very tired

3 4.8

Try very hard for some time

1 4.4

You have too much work and not enough time

1 3.6

To use a lot of energy to do a hard job for a long time

1 5.2

To do something with a lot of energy and good results

1 6.7

Act with different goals so people cannot work well together

To put a lot of effort into work and enjoy free time actively

Great care and effort for your job

A humorous question asking if people do their job a lot or only a little

A lifestyle of very hard work followed by active free time

7.9

A state of always thinking about your job even when trying to relax

to work to rule
  • Literature
7.5

Follow rules exactly to make tasks slower as a protest

6.0

To do very hard, long tasks until you are very tired

Compounds

355 1.6

A lot of steady effort to achieve something difficult

110 3.1

A type of job someone does to earn money

86 3.5

An object like a painting or sculpture that people think is beautiful and made with skill

66 3.0

Police investigate crimes and enforce the law

dirty work
  • Informal
65 4.6

Unpleasant or shameful tasks that other people avoid

A project that is not finished yet

38 3.7

Happening after the workday ends

after-work
  • Informal
30 3.5

A casual gathering with colleagues after the workday to relax

A careful search to find information and solve a crime or mystery

23 4.1

Complete collection of works a person creates, like books or paintings

piece of work
  • Informal
23 6.2

Something impressive but difficult, for example a book or building, and sometimes a person who behaves strangely

14 6.5

Kind actions that help people and serve a higher purpose

14 3.0

Trained workers help people, families, or communities in need

Secret work where someone gathers information for the police or security

work permit
  • Formal
11 3.2

Official paper that lets a person from another country work in that country for a time

11 1.6

Clothes you wear for hard, dirty jobs that protect you and last a long time

11 3.4

A set of treatments a dentist gives to fix or keep teeth and gums healthy

11 3.8

Study done outside in natural places like forests or villages

grunt work
  • Informal
10 5.3

Boring, simple jobs that are necessary and take a lot of time

A time when workers stop working to protest about pay or conditions

Planned activities by religious people to share their faith and help communities

6 7.0

A camp where prisoners must do hard physical work

6 1.0

A day when someone usually works at their job

Work that installs, fixes, or looks after wires and devices that bring power into a building

4 3.4

Tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and child care seen as the job of women

4 2.7

A flat surface like a table or countertop where you do work

4 2.4

The hours when a person must work for their job

4 2.8

A strong shirt made of thick cloth for people who do physical jobs

A piece of creative writing like a novel, poem, or play

light work
  • Informal
3 1.0

An easy task that takes little effort

scut work
  • Informal
3 8.1

Simple unpleasant tasks that no one wants to do

Very hard work that makes your back ache

wet work
  • Offensive
2 9.9

Secret killings and violent acts that governments or criminals carry out

2 2.3

A period of time when you are scheduled to work, for example morning or night

2 2.3

A table for doing a particular job, like sewing or woodwork

2 2.7

A strong shoe that protects your feet during hard work

A book you use to look up facts, not to read from start to finish

A system where students do paid part-time work and study to gain experience

A written story to be performed, like a play or screenplay

1 8.4

Tasks given mainly to keep someone busy instead of producing useful results

1 3.7

A song with a steady beat people sing to make repeating work easier, for example in fields or on ships

A belief that hard work, discipline, and saving money are morally good, often linked to Protestant Christianity

work-in
  • Archaic
1 7.7

Workers who stay at their workplace and keep working to protest closure or job cuts

work papers
  • Formal
1 4.3

Official documents that show a person may have a job, often for immigrants or young workers

1 4.1

A careful check of a job to find faster, easier ways to do it

1 8.2

Music for a small group of instruments with one player per part

sheet-metal work
  • Specialized
1 4.9

The job of shaping and joining thin metal sheets to make building parts like vents

1 3.5

Activities that help people who are poor or in need

1 2.8

A trained creature people use to pull and carry heavy loads like horses or oxen

1 3.2

A group of people who do a physical task together, like clearing fallen trees

Friendly relationships between people who work together that can cause problems

hot-work steel
  • Specialized
6.5

A type of metal that stays hard at high temperatures used to make cutting tools like drills

To manage a job and family life at the same time

para-legal work
  • Specialized
6.5

Work done by a person who is not a lawyer to help legal cases, like preparing documents and doing research

tool-and-die work
  • Specialized
8.1

Work of designing, making, and fixing metal tools and forms used to make parts

8.5

Not willing to do a job or make an effort

Clothes you wear for hard jobs that protect you and are strong

work flow
  • Specialized
3.5

The order and speed that tasks are done at work

work spouse
  • Informal
6.0

A close, supportive colleague you have a personal bond with that is not romantic

A social event an employer arranges for employees to celebrate and relax

work to rule
  • Literature
7.2

A protest where employees slow down by doing only required tasks

work unit
  • Specialized
5.2

A standard amount of energy used to measure work, for example the joule

work unit
  • Specialized
4.0

A small task sent to a computer to run with other tasks

A flat board that you use as a surface for sewing, carving, or other crafts

Clothes you wear to do physical work that are strong and protect you

Clothes people wear to protect them during physical work

How Big

headquarters
407 3.0
factory
869 1.0
work
1.0
shop
1.0
stall
38 1.0

Surface Forms

work singular
works plural

Etymology

Work comes from an old German word weorc meaning 'something done' or 'deed', and the same root is in German Werk and English workshop, so work as a place is simply the place where the doing happens.