workshop

American  

[wurk-shop] / ˈwɜrkˌʃɒp /

noun

1. a room, group of rooms, or building in which work, especially mechanical work, is carried on.

2. a seminar, discussion group, or the like, that emphasizes exchange of ideas and the demonstration and application of techniques, skills, etc..

   a theater workshop; an opera workshop.

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verb (used with object)

workshopped, workshopping

1. to experiment with different versions of (a play or other performance), often in a collaborative environment.

   Most comedians workshop their jokes in smaller clubs before adding them to a polished routine.

workshop British  

/ ˈwɜːkˌʃɒp /

noun

1. a room or building in which manufacturing or other forms of manual work are carried on

2. a room in a private dwelling, school, etc, set aside for crafts

3. a group of people engaged in study or work on a creative project or subject

   a music workshop

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verb

1. (tr) to perform (a play) with no costumes, set, or musical accompaniment

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• postworkshop
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of workshop

First recorded in 1555–65; work + shop

Explanation

A workshop is a place you go to work. If your mother enjoys carpentry, she might have a workshop in the basement where she can build furniture. Workshops are for making and fixing things like wooden furniture, cars, or mysterious inventions. A shorthand way to refer to a workshop is shop, as in the shop class offered in many high schools, which usually meets in a workshop. The noun workshop also means a course or meeting at which a work in progress — often a story, poem, or script — is discussed by a group of writers.

Example Sentences

The next week, Paul doesn’t turn in his story for the workshop.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Josh Rice and Kim Stauffer, theater actors and Stony Brook faculty, ran a two-day workshop at the University at Albany in May.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

"We invited a number of primary schools to our school for a workshop that we hosted," she said.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

The attack happened at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop for children in July 2024.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

There was an old kitchen stool in the workshop.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Related Words

• factory
• laboratory
• mill
• plant
• studio