outwork

[ verb out-wurk; noun out-wurk ]

verb (used with object)

, out·worked or out·wrought, out·work·ing.

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.

noun

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

outwork

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

verb

1. to work better, harder, etc, than
2. to work out to completion

Derived Forms

• ˈoutˌworker, noun

Other Words From

• outworker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of outwork¹

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

Example Sentences

But he was a whirling dervish of energy and could outwork his critics.

From The Daily Beast

The first to mount a breach, to effect a lodgment in an outwork, to enter a newly discovered mine, was sure to perish.

From Project Gutenberg

Saint Jean d'Angely, on the Boutonne, was the only remaining outwork, whose capture must precede an attack on the citadel itself.

From Project Gutenberg

The boulevard of the Tournelles on the other hand is modern, an outwork formed expressly for the use of cannon.

From Project Gutenberg

Beyond this outwork two arches of the bridge were cut and replaced by a movable platform.

From Project Gutenberg

Then the troops dashed forward, and forced their way into the outwork.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bastion
• fortress
• mainstay
• redoubt