work song
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of work song
First recorded in 1920–25
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 very old prison work song, “Water Boy” is stark, long-suffering and proud: “There ain’t no hammer that’s on this mountain/That ring like mine.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
It’s a call-and-response work song, likely concocted spontaneously by overnight dockworkers cramming bunches of bananas onto ships, hot-footing it away from loose spiders, and fantasizing about rum.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 22, 2017
She was already having a fine time when the Carolina Chocolate Drops singer stepped to the microphone and unleashed a riveting rendition of Odetta's traditional work song, "Waterboy."
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2015
Strachwitz named Arhoolie after a type of work song, a field holler, that had deep roots in African-American musical culture.
From Reuters ● Jan. 24, 2013
One day, they began singing what sounded like a work song.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
