To work at

To work at
Work Work (w[^u]rk), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Worked} (w[^u]rkt), or {Wrought} (r[add]t); p. pr. & vb. n. {Working}.] [AS. wyrcean (imp. worthe, wrohte, p. p. geworht, gewroht); akin to OFries. werka, wirka, OS. wirkian, D. werken, G. wirken, Icel. verka, yrkja, orka, Goth. wa['u]rkjan. [root]145. See {Work}, n.] [1913 Webster] 1. To exert one's self for a purpose; to put forth effort for the attainment of an object; to labor; to be engaged in the performance of a task, a duty, or the like. [1913 Webster]

O thou good Kent, how shall I live and work, To match thy goodness? --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you. --Ex. v. 18. [1913 Webster]

Whether we work or play, or sleep or wake, Our life doth pass. --Sir J. Davies. [1913 Webster]

2. Hence, in a general sense, to operate; to act; to perform; as, a machine works well. [1913 Webster]

We bend to that the working of the heart. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

3. Hence, figuratively, to be effective; to have effect or influence; to conduce. [1913 Webster]

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God. --Rom. viii. 28. [1913 Webster]

This so wrought upon the child, that afterwards he desired to be taught. --Locke. [1913 Webster]

She marveled how she could ever have been wrought upon to marry him. --Hawthorne. [1913 Webster]

4. To carry on business; to be engaged or employed customarily; to perform the part of a laborer; to labor; to toil. [1913 Webster]

They that work in fine flax . . . shall be confounded. --Isa. xix. 9. [1913 Webster]

5. To be in a state of severe exertion, or as if in such a state; to be tossed or agitated; to move heavily; to strain; to labor; as, a ship works in a heavy sea. [1913 Webster]

Confused with working sands and rolling waves. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

6. To make one's way slowly and with difficulty; to move or penetrate laboriously; to proceed with effort; -- with a following preposition, as down, out, into, up, through, and the like; as, scheme works out by degrees; to work into the earth. [1913 Webster]

Till body up to spirit work, in bounds Proportioned to each kind. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

7. To ferment, as a liquid. [1913 Webster]

The working of beer when the barm is put in. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

8. To act or operate on the stomach and bowels, as a cathartic. [1913 Webster]

Purges . . . work best, that is, cause the blood so to do, . . . in warm weather or in a warm room. --Grew. [1913 Webster]

{To work at}, to be engaged in or upon; to be employed in.

{To work to windward} (Naut.), to sail or ply against the wind; to tack to windward. --Mar. Dict. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Work hardening — Work hardening, also known as strain hardening or cold working, is the strengthening of a metal by plastic deformation. This strengthening occurs because of dislocation movements within the crystal structure of the material.[1] Any material with… …   Wikipedia

  • Work — (w[^u]rk), n. [OE. work, werk, weorc, AS. weorc, worc; akin to OFries. werk, wirk, OS., D., & G. werk, OHG. werc, werah, Icel. & Sw. verk, Dan. v[ae]rk, Goth. gawa[ u]rki, Gr. e rgon, [digamma]e rgon, work, re zein to do, o rganon an instrument,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Work — may refer to: Human labor: Employment House work Labor (economics), measure of the work done by human beings Manual labor, physical work done by people Wage labor, in which a worker sells their labor and an employer buys it Work (project… …   Wikipedia

  • Work ethic — is a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in the moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. An example would be the Protestant work ethic. A work ethic may include being… …   Wikipedia

  • Work — (w[^u]rk), v. t. 1. To labor or operate upon; to give exertion and effort to; to prepare for use, or to utilize, by labor. [1913 Webster] He could have told them of two or three gold mines, and a silver mine, and given the reason why they forbare …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Work experience — is the experience that a person has working, or working in a specific field or occupation. Volunteer Work and Internships The phrase is sometimes used to mean a type of volunteer work that is commonly intended for young people mdash; often… …   Wikipedia

  • Work — (w[^u]rk), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Worked} (w[^u]rkt), or {Wrought} (r[add]t); p. pr. & vb. n. {Working}.] [AS. wyrcean (imp. worthe, wrohte, p. p. geworht, gewroht); akin to OFries. werka, wirka, OS. wirkian, D. werken, G. wirken, Icel. verka,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Work behavior — is a term used to describe the behavior one uses in employment and is normally more formal than other types of human behavior. This varies from profession to profession, as some are far more casual than others. For example, a computer programmer… …   Wikipedia

  • Work-to-rule — is an industrial action in which employees do no more than the minimum required by the rules of a workplace, and follow safety or other regulations to the letter in order to cause a slowdown rather than to serve their purpose. This is considered… …   Wikipedia

  • work out — {v. phr.} 1. To find an answer to. * /John worked out his math problems all by himself./ * /Mary had trouble getting along with her roommate, but they worked it out./ Compare: FIGURE OUT. 2. To plan; develop. * /Mary worked out a beautiful design …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • work out — {v. phr.} 1. To find an answer to. * /John worked out his math problems all by himself./ * /Mary had trouble getting along with her roommate, but they worked it out./ Compare: FIGURE OUT. 2. To plan; develop. * /Mary worked out a beautiful design …   Dictionary of American idioms

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