📒 to do something that involves physical or mental effort, especially as part of a job
- I can't work if I'm cold.
- The kids always work hard at school.
- work on something The whole team is currently working on the project.
📒 to have a job
- Both my parents work.
- to work in an office/a factory
- work for somebody/something She works for an engineering company.
📒 to make efforts to achieve something
- work for something She dedicated her life to working for peace.
- work to do something The committee is working to get the prisoners freed.
- work together We have proved that different groups can work harmoniously together.
📒 to make yourself/somebody work, especially very hard
- She works herself too hard.
- He says they're working him hard.
📒 to function; to operate
- The printer isn't working.
- How does the device actually work?
- Are they any closer to understanding how the brain works?
📒 to make a machine, device, etc. operate
- Do you know how to work the coffee machine?
- The machine is worked by wind power.
📒 to have the result or effect that you want
- The pills the doctor gave me aren't working.
- My plan worked, and I got them to agree.
- The system seemed to work well.
📒 to have a particular effect
- work against somebody Your age can work against you in this job.
- work in somebody’s favour Speaking Italian should work in his favour.
- You can make your youth work to your advantage.
📒 to manage or operate something to gain benefit from it
- to work the land (= grow crops on it, etc.)
- Boys who didn't go to school worked the land with their fathers.
- He works a large area (= selling a company's goods, etc.).
📒 to make a material into a particular shape or form by pressing, stretching, hitting it, etc.
- work something to work clay
- to work gold
- work something into something to work the mixture into a paste
📒 to use a particular material to produce a picture or other item
- an artist working in oils
- a craftsman working with wool
📒 to move violently
- He stared at me in horror, his mouth working.
📒 to move or pass to a particular place or state, usually gradually
- + adv./prep. It will take a while for the drug to work out of your system.
- He worked his way to the top of his profession.
- work yourself/something + adj. I was tied up, but managed to work myself free.
📒 to arrange something in a particular way, especially by being clever
- Can you work it so that we get free tickets?