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to work

to work

∞ 1.0
To find the answer to a problem or question
  • verb
  • /wɜrk/
: resolver
  • In researching this book, I was also trying to work out my own issues of faith.
  • work on the problem
  • work out the meaning
  • work on the solution

How should the penalty, you know, work in these sort of cases?

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Examples

  • I thought I'd let the two of you work it out... come to an understanding.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • We can work on this, bud, you know?

  • I learned how to make it work, but sort of funny.

  • It's knowing how things work, why they work and what needs to be done.

  • So the challenge has been trying to work that structure for myself.

  • Like how do you make that work in your marriage?

  • Teachers often try to teach students how to use context to work out the meanings of words.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Teachers often try to teach students how to use context to work out the meanings of words.

  • I thought I'd let the two of you work it out... come to an understanding.

  • Their lawyers, believed to be trying to work out an agreement, did not return phone calls.

Synonyms

to figure out
vsto work
  • Informal
∞ 2.2

To think about something and find an answer or understand it

is the broader act of finding answers or grasping meaning
to work on
vsto work
∞ 2.6

Spend time and effort improving or finishing something

means finding answers or understanding rather than gradual improvement
to solve
vsto work
∞ 1.3

To find the answer to a problem or puzzle

is the general act of finding answers or understanding meanings
to work out
vsto work
845 2.8

To find a solution or plan by thinking carefully

includes finding solutions and also understanding meanings
to solve problems
vsto work
532 2.7

To find solutions to difficult situations

covers finding answers as well as understanding meaning
to work through
vsto work
201 3.4

To deal with a problem, task, or feeling step by step until it is done

focuses more on reaching an answer or understanding meaning
to work it out
vsto work
167 3.2

To find an answer to a problem by thinking or talking

covers resolving issues or understanding meanings generally
to work at
vsto work
109 2.3

To try hard to get better at or finish something over time

refers to finding answers or meanings, not just sustained effort
to find a solution
vsto work
57 2.7

To think of a way to solve a problem

focuses on finding answers and also understanding meanings
to lick
vsto work
  • Informal
9 8.0

To succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty

is a neutral description of finding answers or meanings
to puzzle out
vsto work
5 4.4

To think hard to find the answer to a difficult problem

means finding answers or understanding but often more general

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

Phrasal Verbs

∞ 2.6

Spend time and effort improving or finishing something

∞ 3.0

To happen in a certain way, often with a good result

845 2.8

To find a solution or plan by thinking carefully

To do something with other people to reach the same goal

to get to work
  • Informal
416 2.0

To start doing your job, often after a delay

271 2.0

To exercise to improve your health

Start doing your job again after a break

201 3.4

To deal with a problem, task, or feeling step by step until it is done

193 2.0

To start operating and do the job it was made for

167 3.2

To find an answer to a problem by thinking or talking

120 2.2

To do your job at night rather than during the day

109 2.3

To try hard to get better at or finish something over time

108 4.2

To gradually build up a feeling such as confidence or interest

Make someone or something start working by giving tasks

81 1.0

To travel from home to your job

to work it
  • Informal
68 8.4

To act with confidence and skill to attract other people's attention

To start doing a task or project seriously

36 3.5

To get rid of something by exercising or paying money

33 3.9

To develop an idea, plan, or design with effort

To earn money by having a job

26 2.8

To calculate a number or total from given facts

to work wonders
  • Informal
22 3.8

To make something much better or more successful

Get a professional to do a job for you

to work over
  • Offensive
15 8.4

To physically attack and beat someone to punish or threaten them

10 3.5

To add something carefully into a mixture or conversation

To begin working right away with energy

to work up
  • Informal
7 5.6

To become very upset or angry because of something

6 3.7

To keep doing a job or task without stopping for a long time

4 4.4

To finish something quickly and with little effort

4 3.9

Finish a task quickly and well

to work the room
  • Informal
3 7.1

To move around a party or event and talk to many people to make connections

3 5.1

To plan or check earlier steps by working backwards from a deadline

3 4.4

To carefully check and change writing or plans for mistakes

1 5.4

Make someone very tired by giving them too much to do

To stop doing a job to protest for better pay or conditions

Relax and feel less stressed after work

1 4.1

To finish a task quickly and with little effort

To do work using your hands, like making or fixing things

Do a simple job slowly or in the wrong way so it is much harder than needed

1 7.0

Act alone in a company without sharing information with other teams

to cold work
  • Specialized
1 7.8

To shape metal by bending or hitting it at room temperature without heat

To do paid work instead of volunteering

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 Successfully

to solve
∞ 1.3
to work
∞ 1.0
crack
  • UK
67 4.0
to try
∞ 1.0
to guess
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

work infinitive
worked past
worked past participle
working present participle
works third person singular

Etymology

Work in phrases like 'work out' comes from the same old weorc meaning 'to do' or 'make', so to work out a problem is to do the steps and effort needed to find the answer.