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worker - 5 dictionary results

work⋅er

[wur-ker]
–noun
1. a person or thing that works.
2. a laborer or employee: steel workers.
3. a person engaged in a particular field, activity, or cause: a worker in psychological research; a worker for the Republican party.
4. Entomology.
a. a member of a caste of sexually underdeveloped, nonreproductive bees, specialized to collect food and maintain the hive.
b. a similar member of a specialized caste of ants, termites, or wasps.
5. Printing. one of a set of electrotyped plates used to print from (contrasted with molder ).
6. any of several rollers covered with card clothing that work in combination with the stripper rollers and the cylinder in the carding of fibers.

Origin:
1300–50; ME werker, worcher. See work, -er 1

work

[wurk] noun, adjective, verb, worked or (Archaic except for 35, 37, 40 ) wrought; working.
–noun
1. exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil.
2. something on which exertion or labor is expended; a task or undertaking: The students finished their work in class.
3. productive or operative activity.
4. employment, as in some form of industry, esp. as a means of earning one's livelihood: to look for work.
5. one's place of employment: Don't phone him at work.
6. materials, things, etc., on which one is working or is to work.
7. the result of exertion, labor, or activity; a deed or performance.
8. a product of exertion, labor, or activity: musical works.
9. an engineering structure, as a building or bridge.
10. a building, wall, trench, or the like, constructed or made as a means of fortification.
11. works,
a. (used with a singular or plural verb) a place or establishment for manufacturing (often used in combination): ironworks.
b. the working parts of a machine: the works of a watch.
c. Theology. righteous deeds.
12. Physics. force times the distance through which it acts; specifically, the transference of energy equal to the product of the component of a force that acts in the direction of the motion of the point of application of the force and the distance through which the point of application moves.
13. the works, Informal.
a. everything; all related items or matters: a hamburger with the works.
b. harsh or cruel treatment: to give someone the works.
–adjective
14. of, for, or concerning work: work clothes.
15. working (def. 18).
–verb (used without object)
16. to do work; labor.
17. to be employed, esp. as a means of earning one's livelihood: He hasn't worked for six weeks.
18. to be in operation, as a machine.
19. to act or operate effectively: The pump will not work. The plan works.
20. to attain a specified condition, as by repeated movement: The nails worked loose.
21. to have an effect or influence, as on a person or on the mind or feelings of a person.
22. to move in agitation, as the features under strong emotion.
23. to make way with effort or under stress: The ship works to windward.
24. Nautical. to give slightly at the joints, as a vessel under strain at sea.
25. Machinery. to move improperly, as from defective fitting of parts or from wear.
26. to undergo treatment by labor in a given way: This dough works slowly.
27. to ferment, as a liquid.
–verb (used with object)
28. to use or manage (an apparatus, contrivance, etc.): She can work many business machines.
29. to bring about (any result) by or as by work or effort: to work a change.
30. to manipulate or treat by labor: to work butter.
31. to put into effective operation.
32. to operate (a mine, farm, etc.) for productive purposes: to work a coal mine.
33. to carry on operations in (a district or region).
34. to make, fashion, or execute by work.
35. to achieve or win by work or effort: to work one's passage.
36. to keep (a person, a horse, etc.) at work: She works her employees hard.
37. to influence or persuade, esp. insidiously: to work other people to one's will.
38. Informal. to exploit (someone or something) to one's advantage: See if you can work your uncle for a new car. He worked his charm in landing a new job.
39. to make or decorate by needlework or embroidery: She worked a needlepoint cushion.
40. to cause fermentation in.
41. work in or into,
a. to bring or put in; add, merge, or blend: The tailor worked in the patch skillfully. Work the cream into the hands until it is completely absorbed.
b. to arrange a time or employment for: The dentist was very busy, but said she would be able to work me in late in the afternoon. They worked him into the new operation.
42. work off,
a. to lose or dispose of, as by exercise or labor: We decided to work off the effects of a heavy supper by walking for an hour.
b. to pay or fulfill by working: He worked off his debt by doing odd jobs.
43. work on or upon, to exercise influence on; persuade; affect: I'll work on her, and maybe she'll change her mind.
44. work out,
a. to bring about by work, effort, or action.
b. to solve, as a problem.
c. to arrive at by or as by calculation.
d. to pay (a debt) by working instead of paying money.
e. to exhaust, as a mine.
f. to issue in a result.
g. to evolve; elaborate.
h. to amount to (a total or specified figure); add up (to): The total works out to 176.
i. to prove effective or successful: Their marriage just didn't work out.
j. to practice, exercise, or train, esp. in order to become proficient in an athletic sport: The boxers are working out at the gym tonight.
45. work over,
a. to study or examine thoroughly: For my term paper I worked over 30 volumes of Roman history.
b. Informal. to beat unsparingly, esp. in order to obtain something or out of revenge: They threatened to work him over until he talked.
46. work through, to deal with successfully; come to terms with: to work through one's feelings of guilt.
47. work up,
a. to move or stir the feelings; excite.
b. to prepare; elaborate: Work up some plans.
c. to increase in efficiency or skill: He worked up his typing speed to 70 words a minute.
48. work up to, rise to a higher position; advance: He worked up to the presidency.
49. at work,
a. working, as at one's job: He's at work on a new novel.
b. in action or operation: to see the machines at work.
50. gum up the works, Slang. to spoil something, as through blundering or stupidity: The surprise party was all arranged, but her little brother gummed up the works and told her.
51. in the works, in preparation or being planned: A musical version of the book is in the works.
52. make short work of, to finish or dispose of quickly: We made short work of the chocolate layer cake.
53. out of work, unemployed; jobless: Many people in the area were out of work.
54. shoot the works, Slang. to spend all one's resources: Let's shoot the works and order the crêpes suzette.

Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME worke, OE worc, r. ME werk(e), OE weorc, c. OFris, OS werk, OHG werah, werc (G Werk), ON verk, Gk érgon; (v.) ME worken, deriv. of the n., r. ME wyrchen, OE wyrcean; c. G wirken, ON verkja, Goth waurkjan


1. Work, drudgery, labor, toil refer to exertion of body or mind in performing or accomplishing something. Work is the general word and may apply to exertion that is either easy or hard: fun work; heavy work. Drudgery suggests continuous, dreary, and dispiriting work, esp. of a menial or servile kind: the drudgery of household tasks. Labor particularly denotes hard manual work: labor on a farm, in a steel mill. Toil suggests wearying or exhausting labor: toil that breaks down the worker's health. 2. enterprise, project, job, responsibility. 3. industry, occupation, business. 4. job, trade, calling, vocation, profession. 7. product, achievement, feat. 16. toil, drudge. 28. operate, manipulate, handle. 29. accomplish, effect, produce, achieve. 34. finish, form, shape. 37. move.


1. play, rest.

work⋅ing

[wur-king]
–noun
1. the act of a person or thing that works.
2. operation; action: the involuted workings of his mind.
3. the process of shaping a material: The working of clay is easy when it's damp.
4. the act of manufacturing or building a thing.
5. Usually, workings. a part of a mine, quarry, or the like, in which work is carried on.
6. the process of fermenting, as of yeasts.
7. a slow advance involving exertion.
8. disturbed or twisting motions: The working of his limbs revealed the disease.
9. repeated movement or strain tending to loosen a structural assembly or part.
–adjective
10. that works.
11. doing some form of work or labor, esp. manual, mechanical, or industrial work, as for a living: a working person.
12. operating; producing effects, results, etc.
13. pertaining to, connected with, or used in operating or working.
14. serving to permit or facilitate continued work: a working model; a working majority.
15. adequate for usual or customary needs: a working knowledge of Spanish.
16. large enough for working or being worked: a working sample.
17. done, taken, etc., while conducting or discussing business: a working lunch.
18. Also, work. (of a face or edge, as of a timber or a metal casting) shaped and planed as a reference for further shaping and planing.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME werking. See work, -ing 1 , -ing 2


15. usable, practical, operative, functioning.
work·er   (wûr'kər)   
n.  
    1. One who works at a particular occupation or activity: an office worker.
    2. One who does manual or industrial labor.
  1. A member of the working class.
  2. A member of a colony of social insects such as ants, bees, wasps, or termites, usually a sterile female but often a sexually immature individual of either sex, that performs specialized work such as building the nest, collecting and storing food, and feeding other members of the colony.

Worker

Work"er\, n. 1. One who, or that which, works; a laborer; a performer; as, a worker in brass.

Professors of holiness, but workers of iniquity. --Shak.

2. (Zo["o]l.) One of the neuter, or sterile, individuals of the social ants, bees, and white ants. The workers are generally females having the sexual organs imperfectly developed. See Ant, and White ant, under White.
Language Translation for : worker
Spanish: trabajador,
German: der, *die Arbeiter(in),
Japanese: 従業員
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