workshop

American  

[wurk-shop] / ˈwɜrkˌʃɒp /

noun

1. a room, group of rooms, or building in which work, especially mechanical work, is carried on.

2. a seminar, discussion group, or the like, that emphasizes exchange of ideas and the demonstration and application of techniques, skills, etc..

   a theater workshop; an opera workshop.

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verb (used with object)

workshopped, workshopping

1. to experiment with different versions of (a play or other performance), often in a collaborative environment.

   Most comedians workshop their jokes in smaller clubs before adding them to a polished routine.

workshop British  

/ ˈwɜːkˌʃɒp /

noun

1. a room or building in which manufacturing or other forms of manual work are carried on

2. a room in a private dwelling, school, etc, set aside for crafts

3. a group of people engaged in study or work on a creative project or subject

   a music workshop

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verb

1. (tr) to perform (a play) with no costumes, set, or musical accompaniment

Other Word Forms

• postworkshop adjective

Etymology

Origin of workshop

First recorded in 1555–65; work + shop

Explanation

A workshop is a place you go to work. If your mother enjoys carpentry, she might have a workshop in the basement where she can build furniture. Workshops are for making and fixing things like wooden furniture, cars, or mysterious inventions. A shorthand way to refer to a workshop is shop, as in the shop class offered in many high schools, which usually meets in a workshop. The noun workshop also means a course or meeting at which a work in progress — often a story, poem, or script — is discussed by a group of writers.

Example Sentences

It took a team of about 40 to build “Spectra,” first in a workshop in Leeds before final assembly on the festival grounds.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

In November, he convened about 100 senior executives for a three-day workshop in Paris to test that philosophy, opening the floor to debate on the themes set out in his memo.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Researchers will also work with the Common Space, Artecology, and Swim the Wight to set up a creative workshop for those aged between 18 and 35 years old.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Unruly salt-and-pepper hair in a long quaff, round glasses and broad smile give James Ortiz the look of a whimsical inventor, the kind that hides away in his workshop crafting extraordinary artifacts.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

The workshop came clear into his mind, until it seemed as if he were there again, this minute, smelling the acacia blossoms just outside the door.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Related Words

• factory
• laboratory
• mill
• plant
• studio