outwork

[ verb out-wurk; noun out-wurk ]

/ verb ˌaʊtˈwɜrk; noun ˈaʊtˌwɜrk /

verb (used with object), out·worked or out·wrought, out·work·ing.

to work harder, better, or faster than.

to work out or carry on to a conclusion; finish: a problem to be outworked in after generations.

Archaic. to outdo in workmanship.

noun

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

Words nearby outwork

outwear, outweigh, outwent, outwit, outwith, outwork, outworn, outwrite, outyear, ouzel, ouzo

Origin of outwork

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

OTHER WORDS FROM outwork

out·work·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for outworking

The outworking of the coup de main was a triumph for the old borderer's shrewd generalship.
The Master of Appleby|Francis Lynde
So is hidden from our eyes the outworking of the century to come.
The Negro and the Nation|George S. Merriam
In effect, the outworking of it meant a strictly defensive attitude in Africa, and in the north a naval siege of Germany.
The Message|Alec John Dawson
He sees the Rebellion as it is,—the outbreak and outworking of that spirit which makes hell horrible.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 93, July, 1865|Various

He is too tremendously wrapped up in the outworking of His plans.
Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation|S. D. Gordon

British Dictionary definitions for outworking

outwork

noun (ˈaʊtˌwɜːk)

(often plural) defences which lie outside main defensive works

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

verb (ˌaʊtˈwɜːk) -works, -working, -worked or -wrought (tr)

to work better, harder, etc, than

to work out to completion

Derived forms of outwork

outworker, noun

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