the works
Idioms-
Everything, the full range of possibilities, as in He ordered a pizza with the works , or All right, tell me, give me the works on it . This usage derives from works in the sense of “a complete set of parts for a machine or mechanism.” [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]
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A beating or other severe treatment. This usage is often put as give someone the works , as in They took him outside and gave him the works . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]
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.
A third book featuring more humor and wisdom related to the approach of death, to be completed by her daughter Jane, is in the works.
In terms of novels I’ve read, there’s “Out” by Natsuo Kirino and the works of Mieko Kawakami.
From Los Angeles Times
Slated to complete construction in downtown Glendale in late 2026, the 51,000-square-foot Armenian American Museum has been in the works for more than a decade.
From Los Angeles Times
A version that can hit ships at sea and other moving targets is in the works.
Absurdist humor often transcends age, time and place, recalling the works of writers like Samuel Beckett and Kurt Vonnegut.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
