working
Americannoun
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the act of a person or thing that works.
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operation; action.
the involuted workings of his mind.
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the process of shaping a material.
The working of clay is easy when it's damp.
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the act of manufacturing or building a thing.
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Usually workings. a part of a mine, quarry, or the like, in which work is carried on.
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the process of fermenting, as of yeasts.
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a slow advance involving exertion.
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disturbed or twisting motions.
The working of his limbs revealed the disease.
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repeated movement or strain tending to loosen a structural assembly or part.
adjective
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that works.
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doing some form of work or labor, especially manual, mechanical, or industrial work, as for a living.
a working person.
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operating; producing effects, results, etc.
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pertaining to, connected with, or used in operating or working.
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serving to permit or facilitate continued work.
a working model; a working majority.
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adequate for usual or customary needs.
a working knowledge of Spanish.
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large enough for working or being worked.
a working sample.
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done, taken, etc., while conducting or discussing business.
a working lunch.
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Also (of a face or edge, as of a timber or a metal casting) shaped and planed as a reference for further shaping and planing.
noun
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the operation or mode of operation of something
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the act or process of moulding something pliable
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a convulsive or jerking motion, as from excitement
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(often plural) a part of a mine or quarry that is being or has been worked
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(plural) the whole system of excavations in a mine
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a record of the steps by which the result of a calculation or the solution of a problem is obtained
all working is to be submitted to the examiners
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rare slow advance against or as if against resistance
adjective
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relating to or concerned with a person or thing that works
a working man
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concerned with, used in, or suitable for work
working clothes
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(of a meal or occasion) during which business discussions are carried on
working lunch
working breakfast
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capable of being operated or used
a working model
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sufficiently large or accurate to be useful or to accomplish a desired end
a working majority
a working knowledge of German
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(of a theory, etc) providing a basis, usually a temporary one, on which operations or procedures may be carried out
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of working
First recorded in 1250–1300, working is from the Middle English word werking. See work, -ing 1, -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has formed a Hunting and Advanced Technology Working Group that has proposed bans on drones, transmitting trail cameras and night-vision and thermal-imaging devices for the state hunting season.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
"Working with our collaborators, we were able to merge the experimental observations with simulations to refine the models and better predict what we see in experiments."
From Science Daily • May 4, 2026
Working with Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the first assistant U.S. attorney, Bill Essayli, revealed that Expert Wound Care, which does business as St. Victoria Home Care, is the target of a federal probe.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Working in food media, I spend more time thinking about chicken than I ever expected.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026
Working first with his colleague Eleanor Helin and later with his wife, Carolyn, and associate David Levy, Shoemaker began a systematic survey of the inner solar system.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
