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

And the telework policy is only available to employees who actively reside in California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

The audit said, however, that much of the telework policy was not made clear to workers, and recommended the agency clarify obligations and bring the employees into compliance with rules.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

And among parents of school-aged children, I didn’t find very significant discrepancies in telework rates between mothers and fathers.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

So, the career-killing telework phenomenon Grede warned us about in her memoir doesn’t seem to have as much of a negative labor market impact for moms as the media would have us believe.

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

“Some of VA’s office-based employees teleworked during the pandemic, both for their safety and the safety of those we serve, but they represent a fraction of our total workforce.”

From Washington Times ● Oct. 3, 2023

A recent commuter survey by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments found that 44 percent of regional workers teleworked on a typical work day in early 2022 versus 9 percent before the pandemic.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 3, 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

The pandemic often helped the agency skate by with fewer boats, because many commuters on the Bremerton and Bainbridge routes to Seattle teleworked.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2021

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

“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

California has been losing more residents to other Western and Sunbelt states, as workers conclude that by living elsewhere and teleworking, they can keep their salaries without spending as much on housing and taxes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2023

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