desk work
Americannoun
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work done at a desk.
-
habitual writing, as that of a clerk.
Etymology
Origin of desk work
First recorded in 1860–65
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.
A major driver of the new AI-inspired alarm has been increased capacity for computers to code software—and the fear that those capabilities could extend to swaths of white-collar desk work.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
Prolonged desk work can lead to musculoskeletal problems ranging from annoying aches and pains to injuries.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2025
The government has said it will begin chartered deportation flights in the coming months, and free up more immigration Gardai from desk work.
From BBC • Nov. 24, 2024
The program rejected the 2019 application in part because the plan-appointed orthopedic doctor who examined Williams ruled he could participate in sedentary and desk work.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2023
In such a scheme, William was an oddity—a man who already did desk work but found it too stressful.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
