workout
Americannoun
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a trial or practice session in athletics, as in running, boxing, or football.
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a structured regime of physical exercise.
She goes to the gym for a workout twice a week.
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any trial or practice session.
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an act or instance of working something out.
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“It’s sort of like outsourcing your workout to someone else and expecting to get stronger. Muscles — physical and cognitive — just don’t work like that.”
From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026
“When you have a guy that’s that serious about even considering coming out, it’s like ‘OK, we might have a chance,’” safety Quentin Lake said Monday after the Rams completed an organized-team activity workout.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
The nearly 5,000-square-foot residence also includes an attic gym space—a fitting feature for the man who built an empire encouraging millions to exercise through his wildly successful “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” workout videos.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026
“Something that I feel like I’ve learned is, it’s OK to ask for support,” Nacua said after participating in an organized-team activity workout in Woodland Hills.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
Kids under thirteen weren’t allowed to use the workout equipment, which Bat thought was unfair.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
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.
