outwork

American  

[out-wurk, out-wurk] / ˌaʊtˈwɜrk, ˈaʊtˌwɜrk /

verb (used with object)

outworked, outwrought, outworking

1. to work harder, better, or faster than.

2. to work out or carry on to a conclusion; finish.

   a problem to be outworked in after generations.

3. Archaic. to outdo in workmanship.

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noun

1. a minor defense built or established outside the principal fortification limits.

outwork British  

noun

1. (often plural) defences which lie outside main defensive works

2. work performed away from the factory, office, etc, by which it has been commissioned

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verb

1. to work better, harder, etc, than

2. to work out to completion

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outworker
  noun

Etymology

Origin of outwork

1200–50; Middle English: to complete; see out-, work

Example Sentences

“It felt so fulfilling to wake up and think, ‘I’m going to outwork everybody around me and be more creative than them.’”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

“I’m trying to outwork the people. I’m trying to outwork me.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

“At the time I was just trying to outwork everybody.”

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2024

I understood where my talents were, and I knew I was going to have to outwork people, I knew I was going to have to outsmart.

From Salon • Aug. 22, 2023

But his eyes always seem hopeful when he says that I can outwork talent over the long haul, and so for him—and for me too—I try my best to do just that.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

Related Words

• bastion
• fortress
• mainstay
• redoubt