telework

American

[tel-uh-wurk] / ˈtɛl əˌwɜrk /

verb (used without object)

to work at home or from another remote location by using the internet or a computer linked to one’s place of employment, as well as digital communications such as email and phone.

People with white-collar jobs are more likely to telework.

noun

the practice of working at home or from another remote location by using a computer and digital communications.

Luckily my employer supports telework, but I usually go into the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

teleworker

noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of telework

First recorded in 1970–75; tele- ¹ ( def. ) + work ( def. )

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.

See Examples For:

telework teleworked teleworking

Other prominent voices seem bent on convincing us that telework plays a significant negative factor in women’s career advancement.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

To make your case in this situation, it is important to present a record of effective remote work, says Kevin Rockmann, a management professor at George Mason University who studies telework.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

Separately, Newsom last year signed a law that extended telework options for local officials, researchers and members of neighborhood councils and advisory groups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2026

Of the 2.3 million civilian workers working for the government in May, the report said, 1.1 million were eligible for telework and about 228,000 were eligible for entirely remote work.

From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2024

The data shows that nearly 54% of federal employees have a hybrid work schedule while 14% telework fulltime.

From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2024

Federal employees who teleworked fulltime registered the highest scores — 74.6 out of 100 — compared to others who worked at headquarters or field offices.

From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2024

From March 28, 2022, through March 31, 2023, she teleworked for 121 weekdays, or 55% of her time on the job.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 14, 2023

The vast majority of those who teleworked gave it high marks, with 86 percent saying they were productive at home, 80 percent saying they could coordinate with colleagues and 66 percent saying they could concentrate.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 19, 2022

In contrast, 23% of those workers said they teleworked frequently before the coronavirus outbreak.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2022

And just 10% of those people with a job said they either teleworked or worked from home because of COVID-19, a figure representing about 15.8 million workers.

From Reuters ● Apr. 1, 2022

That may run into resistance from workers in France, who repeatedly walked out in 2024 to defend teleworking.

From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026

Indeed, a 2022 survey by the Congressional Budget Office found 22 percent of federal workers teleworking, compared to 25 percent in the private sector.

From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2025

Last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that around 28% of private-sector establishments had employees teleworking some or all the time, and other research indicates that that percentage may be too low.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2024

“We need changes in the transportation sector, along with policies to reduce demand for transport — like teleworking, walkable neighborhoods and good public transportation.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023

Transportation Department said on Thursday they expect teleworking government employees to boost in-person work, part of the Biden administration's return-to-office efforts.

From Reuters ● Jul. 20, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023