work out

British  

verb

1. (tr) to achieve or accomplish by effort

2. (tr) to solve or find out by reasoning or calculation

   to work out an answer

   to work out a sum

3. (tr) to devise or formulate

   to work out a plan

4. (intr) to prove satisfactory or effective

   did your plan work out?

5. (intr) to happen as specified

   it all worked out well

6. (intr) to take part in physical exercise, as in training

7. (tr) to remove all the mineral in (a mine, body of ore, etc) that can be profitably exploited

8. (intr; often foll by to or at) to reach a total

   your bill works out at a pound

9. informal (tr) to understand the real nature of

   I shall never work you out

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noun

1. a session of physical exercise, esp for training or practice

work out Idioms  

1. Accomplish by work or effort, as in I think we can work out a solution to this problem . [1500s] For work out all right , see turn out all right .

2. Find a solution for, solve, as in They hoped to work out their personal differences , or Can you help me work out this equation? [Mid-1800s]

3. Formulate or develop, as in We were told to work out a new plan , or He's very good at working out complicated plots . [Early 1800s]

4. Discharge a debt by working instead of paying money, as in She promised she'd work out the rest of the rent by baby-sitting for them . [Second half of 1600s]

5. Prove effective or successful, as in I wonder if their marriage will work out .

6. Have a specific result, add up, as in It worked out that she was able to go to the party after all , or The total works out to more than a million . [Late 1800s]

7. Engage in strenuous exercise for physical conditioning, as in He works out with weights every other day . [1920s]

8. Exhaust a resource, such as a mine, as in This mine has been completely worked out . [Mid-1500s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

work out

I’ll work out either at the house or go out to the gym.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

He did not elaborate on whether Washington would take any action, but told reporters that "everything's gonna work out fine and dandy" in the region.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

When the first wave may be only minutes away, the time to work out an escape route is before the emergency begins.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

For instance, if one party comes from multigenerational wealth, or both do, then trust-and-estate complexities will likely require more billable hours to work out.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

She then used that to work out what kind of Enigma wiring would produce those results.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

• accomplish
• achieve
• arrange
• come out
• complete
• develop
• devise
• figure out
• fix
• form
• formulate
• handle
• happen
• resolve
• win