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Glite Dictionary
working out

working out

47 5.3
The detailed steps you do to solve a problem
  • noun
  • /ˈwɜrkɪŋ aʊt/
translation icon : elaboración
  • With these factors to consider, it is helpful to have a consistent scheme working out all the implications.
  • working out the details

So what's your master, right working out which noise is the noise to listen to?

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Examples

  • The team is dedicated to working out the details of the new project plan before the deadline.

  • The construction of the Panzer division reflected a careful working out of the requirements of modern warfare.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Michael needed time to think, be by himself, and start working out the options.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The goal was revised to $400 once we started working out our profit and loss statement.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The negotiating parties are engaged in working out the rules for a stable and self-sustaining relationship.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Another way we make learning situations similar is through teaching routines for working out problems and decision-making.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Hopkins also points out that working out the cost-effectiveness of interventions can be slow.

    Academic text (2010)

  • After several meetings, we finally started working out the budget for the upcoming event.

  • The engineer spent hours working out the specifications for the new software system.

Synonyms

elaboration
vsworking out
8 4.9

Adding more detail or explanation to something

is about more intricate, painstaking development and reaching a solution
devising
vsworking out
2 4.2

Careful planning to make a new idea or way to do something

focuses on detailed development and resolving problems rather than initial invention

Antonyms

simplification
13 3.6

Making something less complicated so it is easier to understand

How Detailed

working out
47 5.3
plan
∞ 1.0
outline
59 2.7
sketch
150 2.5

Surface Forms

working out singular
working outs plural

Morphology

work + out

The noun 'working out' is a compositional gerund from 'work' (to do/solve) + the particle 'out' (indicating completion/result), yielding 'the process of resolving or developing something'; this reflects a regular verb+particle pattern rather than an idiomatic shift. Because the meaning follows directly from the constituent parts and the phrasal-verb construction is common and cross-linguistically transparent, a B1 learner who knows the parts would likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Working out comes from the image of pulling an idea out and showing each step. Here, working is the careful effort and out is making that effort visible. That's why working out means the detailed steps or plan you write down to 'solve' a problem.