n. 1 labour, toil, effort, drudgery, travail, exertion, industry Few people make it to the top and stay there without hard work 2 employment, business, occupation, vocation, calling, profession, trade, line, métier, career, livelihood, job, post, position, situation Does your work as a test pilot interfere much with your home life? 3 task, function, duty, assignment, charge, responsibility, chore, commission, undertaking, stint When you are finished with that work, clean out the cellar 4 feat, achievement, creation, accomplishment, opus, handiwork, oeuvre, production, composition, piece, master-work, masterpiece, chef-d'oeuvre, magnum opus, output Some of Edwin's recent works have won prizes 5 in work. in production, under way, being done, in the works, being planned, in the planning stage(s) The budget has been approved and the project is already in work 6 out of work. unemployed, idle, jobless, at liberty, between engagements, available, free, Brit redundant, Colloq Brit on the dole, US on or collecting unemployment How long have you been out of work?
v. 7 labour, toil, exert oneself, sweat, moil, slave (away), peg away, slog (away) His father worked in the mines from the age of nine till he died of black-lung disease at forty 8 till, plough, farm, cultivate Would he have been healthier and longer-lived had he worked the land? 9 have a job, hold (down) a post or position, earn a living, be employed His wife works as a designer in a Parisian fashion house 10 control, manage, manipulate, manoeuvre, wield, handle, operate, use, make use of, utilize, exploit, deal with, bring into play Are you sure you know how to work all those dials and buttons? 11 function, operate, run, go, develop, turn out, Colloq pan out Are you sure that the plan is working to your advantage? 12 function, operate, run, go: The drill works better if you turn on the power 13 knead, mould, form, fashion, shape; mix, stir, incorporate Work the clay into long, narrow strips Try to work the colour in with your fingers.. 14 manoeuvre, manipulate, guide See if you can work him over into a corner where you can grab him 15 operate, use, employ, put to (good or effective) use, wield, manipulate, ply, apply, exploit Tanya must have worked her magic on Eustace to make him that docile 16 bring about, effect, accomplish, carry out or off, make, produce, achieve, engender, beget, create, do, put through, execute, fulfil, effectuate, implement, realize I doubt that the new sports centre will work many changes in the area 17 work in. find time or space for, include, insert, introduce, fit in, squeeze in, accommodate I'll try and work in your comments when I write up my report 18 work on. wheedle, coax, importune, press, Brit pressurize, US pressure; influence, persuade, act on, prevail upon, induce, dispose, urge Keep working on him to try to change his mind 19 work out. a exercise, do callisthenics, do aerobics, warm up, do setting-up exercises, do (one's) daily dozen, jog, lift weights, train, drill I try to work out for an hour every day b Often, work out at or to. equal, total (up to), result in, amount to, come to Let's see - that works out at one car for every 4 7 people. c clear up, resolve, solve, Slang Brit and New Zealand suss out Thaddeus is old enough to work out his own problems Can they work out their differences? d evolve, develop, succeed, prosper, come out all right, prove satisfactory, go well, be effective, Colloq pan out How can you be so sure that everything will work out? e formulate, work up, contrive, draw up, detail, plan, develop, devise, put together, elaborate, expand, enlarge (on) The captain worked out a way for them to escape 20 work up. a excite, make excited, agitate, inflame, enkindle, arouse, rouse, stir, move, animate, incite, spur, Colloq fire (up), get (someone) (all) steamed or hopped or het up Those fire-and-brimstone preachers used to get the people all worked up b prepare, (make or get) ready, whip into shape, develop, come up with, write up, put together, produce, turn out Can you work up that proposal in time for Monday's meeting? c advance, ascend, rise, move up or ahead or on In no time at all, Greg worked his way up from assembler to foreman d See 19 (e), above.