donkey work

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noun

Informal. tedious, repetitious work; drudgery.

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Also don·key·work

[dong-kee-wurk, dawng‐, duhng‐]. /ˈdɒŋ kiˌwɜrk, ˈdɔŋ‐, ˈdʌŋ‐/.

Origin of donkey work

First recorded in 1915–20

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use donkey work in a sentence

If anything the work the two cops and the maintenance guy were doing deserves more respect and probably helped a lot more people.
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Why, some might be asking, am I being so harsh on their work so soon after they died?
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I love my job and I love my city and I am committed to the work here,” he said in a statement.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So it might be me projecting my desires onto Archer to want to just get away from work for a few weeks.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

To make it work almost everything else about these shows has to seem factual which is why many look like a weird Celebrity Sims.
‘Empire’ Review: Hip-Hop Musical Chairs with an Insane Soap Opera Twist|Judnick Mayard|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
With him one is at high pressure all the time, and I have gained a good many more ideas from him than I can work up in a hurry.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
In fact, except for Ramona's help, it would have been a question whether even Alessandro could have made Baba work in harness.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
The sad end of the mission to King M'Bongo has been narrated in the body of this work.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Entrez donc, 'tis the work of one of your compatriots; and here, though a heretic, you may consider yourself on English ground.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various

British Dictionary definitions for donkey work

donkey-work

noun

groundwork

drudgeryUS equivalent: draft-mule work

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

donkey work

Origin of donkey work

Words related to donkey work

How to use donkey work in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for donkey work