workout

American  

[wurk-out] / ˈwɜrkˌaʊt /

noun

workouts plural

1. a trial or practice session in athletics, as in running, boxing, or football.

2. a structured regime of physical exercise.

   She goes to the gym for a workout twice a week.

3. any trial or practice session.

4. an act or instance of working something out.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• workouts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of workout

First recorded in 1890–95; noun use of verb phrase work out

Explanation

A workout is an exercise session. If you hope to join your school's track team, you'd better be prepared for regular workouts. If you do yoga, lift weights, or run with your dog, you can call each of these activities a workout. When it's a verb, workout becomes two separate words: work out. So you can either say "I work out three days a week" or "I usually do three workouts a week." When this noun first appeared around the turn of the 20th century, it referred specifically to a practice boxing match.

Example Sentences

Can a 10-second finger workout help keep your brain healthy?

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

For most people, this benefit requires no changes to their workout schedule.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 21, 2026

Participants can then get a high-intensity, low-impact workout that’s easy on the joints and requires extra balance, firing up the core.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026

How has your workout changed over the years?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

In fact, about an hour after we moved in on the first day, we were back on the bus, riding to the gymnastics training hall for our first workout in Rio.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Related Words

• conditioning
• drill
• rehearsal
• routine
• session
• test
• training
• tryout