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work

work

∞ 1.0
Effort people use to do a job or task
  • noun
  • /wɜrk/
: trabajo
  • It's just hours of labour, hours of work, OK.
  • hard work
  • much work
  • extra work

You start doing the healing work, the hard work.

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Examples

  • What if you could make your work take less work?

  • I want to show you this because I value your contribution to my work.

  • Thanks and keep up the good work, OK?

  • People think you do the work and then it goes away.

  • Like they did all of that work for nothing now.

  • Just thank yourself for the work you already did this year.

  • Well, because you put in the work.

  • " Students are taking more ownership in their work and wanting to do their best."

    Academic text (2013)
  • - Anyways, I have a lot of work to do.

  • The project required a lot of work to be completed on time.

Synonyms

job
vswork
∞ 1.0

A task you must do as part of your duties

is broader, covering any activity or effort beyond single paid duties
task
vswork
∞ 1.0

A piece of work someone must do, often given by another person

is broader, including long projects, roles, and general activity
employment
vswork
458 2.1

Having a paid job

is the general activity or role, not only the held paid status
hard work
vswork
439 1.6

A lot of steady effort to achieve something difficult

is neutral about intensity, covering both easy and hard activities
labor
vswork
  • US
426 1.4

Work done using physical effort, often a hard task

is neutral, covering both mental activity and physical exertion
effort
vswork
47 1.1

A notable achievement done with a lot of hard work

focuses on ongoing activity rather than the final result
occupation
vswork
6 3.4

An activity that keeps a person busy in their free time

is more general, applying to short tasks and ongoing roles alike
sweat of one's brow
vswork
  • Literature
1 5.8

Hard work done to earn money or achieve something

is more general, not limited to earning or long physical toil

Antonyms

654 1.0

A period when you stop activity to relax or sleep

90 1.3

Time not spent working when you can relax or do things you enjoy

8 4.5

A time when someone is not working or active

Idioms

851 1.0

You are in the place where you do your job

133 1.8

Without a job and trying to find one

11 6.0

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

8 3.4

Spend a lot of time doing hard, tiring tasks

3 4.8

Try very hard for some time

2 4.4

You have too much work and not enough time

1 6.7

Act with different goals so people cannot work well together

1 5.2

To do something with a lot of energy and good results

1 3.6

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

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

to work to rule
  • Literature
1 7.5

Follow rules exactly to make tasks slower as a protest

1 8.4

Try very hard for a long time to do something

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

Do very hard, long jobs until you are very tired

6.1

To make something much better using skill and new ideas

Compounds

439 1.6

A lot of steady effort to achieve something difficult

131 3.7

Happening after the workday ends

100 3.1

A type of job someone does to earn money

91 3.5

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

73 3.0

Police investigate crimes and enforce the law

dirty work
  • Informal
72 4.6

Unpleasant or shameful tasks that other people avoid

piece of work
  • Informal
68 6.2

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

A project that is not finished yet

30 6.5

Kind actions that help people and serve a higher purpose

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

26 4.1

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

21 3.0

Trained workers help people, families, or communities in need

16 3.8

Study done outside in natural places like forests or villages

15 1.6

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

15 1.0

A day when someone usually works at their job

14 3.4

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

work permit
  • Formal
13 3.2

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

Secret work where someone gathers information for the police or security

grunt work
  • Informal
12 5.3

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

11 2.3

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

11 2.4

The hours when a person must work for their job

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

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

8 7.0

A camp where prisoners must do hard physical work

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

5 2.8

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

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

wet work
  • Offensive
4 9.9

Secret killings and violent acts that governments or criminals carry out

4 3.4

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

4 3.2

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

4 2.7

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

3 8.4

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

work flow
  • Specialized
3 3.5

The order and speed that tasks are done at work

scut work
  • Informal
3 8.1

Simple unpleasant tasks that no one wants to do

2 2.3

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

light work
  • Informal
2 1.0

An easy task that takes little effort

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

2 4.1

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

2 2.7

A strong shoe that protects your feet during hard work

Very hard work that makes your back ache

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

work papers
  • Formal
2 4.3

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

1 3.7

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

1 3.2

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

1 3.5

Activities that help people who are poor or in need

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

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

work unit
  • Specialized
1 4.0

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

1 2.8

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

sheet-metal work
  • Specialized
1 4.9

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

1 8.2

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

To manage a job and family life at the same time

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

1 8.5

Not willing to do a job or make an effort

1 7.0

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

work unit
  • Specialized
1 5.2

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

work spouse
  • Informal
1 6.0

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

work-in
  • Archaic
1 7.7

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

tool-and-die work
  • Specialized
1 8.1

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

work to rule
  • Literature
1 7.2

A protest where employees slow down by doing only required tasks

1 2.8

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

after-work
  • Informal
3.5

A casual gathering with colleagues after the workday to relax

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

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

Clothes people wear to protect them during physical work

How Hard

project
∞ 2.5
work
∞ 1.0
job
∞ 1.0
chore
195 1.0
task
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

work singular
works plural

Etymology

Work comes from an old German word weorc meaning 'effort' or 'a thing done', so when we talk about someone's work we mean the activity and effort they use to reach a result.