Origin of the word work

Oh goodness, this is depressing. The Guardian reports that work has totally sucked all the way through human history:

Words indicating labour in most European languages originate in an imagery of compulsion, torment, affliction and persecution. The French word travail (and Spanish trabajo), like its English equivalent, are derived from the Latin trepaliare – to torture, to inflict suffering or agony. The word peine, meaning penalty or punishment, also is used to signify arduous labour, something accomplished with great effort. The German Arbeit suggests effort, hardship and suffering; it is cognate with the Slavonic rabota (from which English derives “robot”), a word meaning corvee, forced or serf labour. In romance languages, words from the Latin laborare have come to mean ploughing or tilling the earth, although in Italian, lavoro also means work in general. The Latin meaning was anything accomplished with difficulty and struggle.

It was so terrible that it is closely related to the root word for “persecute.” It is related to the word “wreak,” as in wreak havoc. Basically, everyone across the Indo-European family was waiting for 5pm.

We wonder if there are languages in parts of the world isolated from les miserables Indo-European folk who actually have a word for “work” that doesn’t convey the idea of being so bummed about getting stuff done?

Additional thought: Would we all be seeking jobs we love and enjoy if the concept of “work” was passed down in society to reflect personal growth fulfillment?

Источник
  • Afrikaans: werk (af), arbeid (af)
  • Aghwan: 𐔰𐕐 (aš)
  • Albanian: punë (sq) f
  • Amharic: ሥራ (śəra)
  • Andi: гьалтӏи (haltʼi)
  • Arabic: عَمَل‎ (ar) m (ʕamal), شُغْل‎ m (šuḡl), خِدْمَة‎ f (ḵidma), وَظِيفَة‎ (ar) f (waẓīfa)
    Egyptian Arabic: شغل‎ m (šuḡl)
    Hijazi Arabic: شغل‎ m (šuḡul)
    Moroccan Arabic: خدمة‎ f (ḵedma), وظيفة‎ f (waḍīfa)
  • Aragonese: treball, treballo (an) m
  • Armenian: աշխատանք (hy) (ašxatankʿ), գործ (hy) (gorc)
  • Assamese: কাম (kam)
  • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܦܘܼܠܚܵܢܵܐ‎ m (pulḳana), ܫܘܼܠܵܐ‎ m (šula)
  • Asturian: trabayu m
  • Atayal: mtzaw
  • Avar: хӏалтӏи (ḥʳaltʼi)
  • Azerbaijani: əmək (az), iş (az), zəhmət
  • Bashkir: эш (eş)
  • Basque: lan
  • Belarusian: пра́ца (be) f (práca), рабо́та f (rabóta)
  • Bengali: কাজ (bn) (kaj), চাকরি (bn) (cakori)
  • Bulgarian: ра́бота (bg) f (rábota), труд (bg) m (trud)
  • Burmese: လုပ်အား (my) (lup-a:), အလုပ် (my) (a.lup)
  • Catalan: treball (ca) m, feina (ca)
  • Chechen: болх (bolx)
  • Chichewa: ntchito
  • Chinese:
    Cantonese: 工作 (gung1 zok3)
    Dungan: гунзуә (gunzuə)
    Mandarin: 工作 (zh) (gōngzuò), 勞動／劳动 (zh) (láodòng), 職業／职业 (zh) (zhíyè)
    Min Nan: 工作 (zh-min-nan) (kang-chok / kong-chok)
    Wu: 工作 (kon tsoq)
  • Cia-Cia: 까라자아
  • Czech: práce (cs) f, zaměstnání (cs) n
  • Danish: arbejde (da) n, job (da) n
  • Dutch: werk (nl) n, job (nl) f, arbeid (nl) m
  • East Central German: Arbitt f, Arb f
  • Esperanto: laboro (eo)
  • Estonian: töö (et)
  • Ewe: dɔwɔwɔ
  • Extremaduran: trebahu
  • Finnish: työ (fi)
  • French: travail (fr) m, [6] (please verify) œuvre (fr) m, [6] (please verify) création (fr) m
  • Friulian: vore f
  • Galician: traballo (gl) m, choio (gl) m
  • Georgian: მუშაობა (mušaoba)
  • German: Arbeit (de) f
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 f (arbaiþs)
  • Greek: έργο (el) n (érgo), εργασία (el) f (ergasía), δουλειά (el) f (douleiá)
    Ancient: ἔργον n (érgon)
  • Greenlandic: suliaq
  • Haitian Creole: travay
  • Hausa: aiki (ha)
  • Hebrew: עֲבוֹדָה‎ (he) f (avodá), מְלָאכָה‎ (he) f (melakhá), עָמָל‎ (he) m (amál)
  • Hindi: काम (hi) m (kām), श्रम (hi) m (śram), उद्योग (hi) m (udyog), वृत्ति (hi) f (vŕtti), कार्य (hi) m (kārya), कार (hi) m (kār), कर्म (hi) m (karm), अमल (hi) (amal), वजीफा (hi) f (vajīphā)
  • Hungarian: munka (hu), dolog (hu), feladat (hu)
  • Icelandic: vinna (is) f
  • Indonesian: kerjaan, pekerjaan (id)
  • Ingrian: töö
  • Ingush: болх (bolx)
  • Irish: obair f, saothar m
  • Istriot: lavur
  • Italian: lavoro (it) m, impiego (it) m, occupazione (it) f
  • Japanese: 仕事 (ja) (しごと, shigoto), 労働 (ja) (ろうどう, rōdō), 職業 (ja) (しょくぎょう, shokugyō), ワーク (ja) (wāku)
  • Kaingang: rãnhrãj
  • Kamba: wia
  • Kazakh: еңбек (eñbek), жұмыс (kk) (jūmys), іс (kk) (ıs), қызмет (qyzmet), шаруа (kk) (şarua)
  • Khmer: ការងារ (km) (kaa ngiə)
  • Kikuyu: wira
  • Komi-Permyak: удж (udž)
  • Korean: 일 (ko) (il), 노동(勞動) (ko) (nodong), 로동 (ko) (rodong) (North Korea), 직업(職業) (ko) (jigeop)
  • Kurdish:
    Central Kurdish: کار‎ (ckb) (kar), ئیش‎ (ckb) (îş)
    Northern Kurdish: kar (ku) m
  • Kyrgyz: жумуш (ky) (jumuş), иш (ky) (iş), эмгек (ky) (emgek), кызмат (ky) (kızmat)
  • Ladino: ovra, lavoro
  • Lao: ງານ (ngān), ນັກງານ (nak ngān)
  • Latgalian: dorbs
  • Latin: labor (la) m
  • Latvian: darbs m
  • Ligurian: travàggio, lou
  • Lithuanian: darbas (lt) m
  • Livvi: ruado
  • Lombard: lavor (lmo), laur (lmo)
  • Luhya: ekasi
  • Luxembourgish: Aarbecht (lb) f
  • Macedonian: работа (mk) f (rabota)
  • Malay: kerja (ms)
  • Malayalam: ജോലി (ml) (jōli), പണി (ml) (paṇi)
  • Maltese: xogħol m
  • Minangkabau: karajo
  • Mongolian:
    Cyrillic: ажил (mn) (ažil)
  • Mwani: kazi
  • Mòcheno: òrbet f
  • Navajo: naashnish
  • Neapolitan: lavoro m
  • Norman: travas m (Guernsey)
  • Northern Sami: bargu
  • Norwegian:
    Bokmål: arbeid (no) n, jobb (no) m, verk (no) n
    Nynorsk: arbeid n, jobb m, verk n
  • Occitan: trabalh (oc) m
  • Old Church Slavonic:
    Cyrillic: работа f (rabota), троудъ m (trudŭ)
    Glagolitic: ⱃⰰⰱⱁⱅⰰ f (rabota), ⱅⱃⱆⰴⱏ m (trudŭ)
  • Old East Slavic: робота f (robota), трудъ m (trudŭ)
  • Old English: weorc n, earfoþe n
  • Oriya: କାମ (or) (kamô)
  • Oromo: hojii
  • Ossetian: куыст (k°yst)
  • Papiamentu: trabou
  • Pashto: کار‎ (ps) m (kār)
  • Persian: کار‎ (fa) (kâr), شغل‎ (fa) (šoğl)
  • Piedmontese: travaj m
  • Pijin: waka
  • Pipil: tekit
  • Plautdietsch: Oabeit f, Woakj n
  • Polish: praca (pl) f, robota (pl) f
  • Portuguese: trabalho (pt) m, emprego (pt) m
  • Punjabi: ਕੰਮ m (kamm)
  • Romani: butǐ f
  • Romanian: muncă (ro) f, serviciu (ro) n, ocupație (ro) f, îndeletnicire (ro) f
  • Romansch: lavur f (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Puter, Vallader), lavour f (Surmiran)
  • Russian: рабо́та (ru) f (rabóta), труд (ru) m (trud)
  • Rusyn: пра́ца f (práca), робо́та f (robóta)
  • Samoan: galus
  • Sanskrit: कर्मन् (sa) n (karman), कार्य (sa) (kārya)
  • Sardinian: trabadhu, traballu
  • Scots: wark
  • Scottish Gaelic: cosnadh m, obair (gd) f, dreuchd f
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic: по̀сао m, ра̑д m
    Roman: pòsao (sh) m, rȃd (sh) m
  • Shor: иш
  • Sicilian: lavuru (scn) m, travagghiu (scn) m
  • Sinhalese: වැඩ (wæḍa)
  • Slovak: práca (sk) f
  • Slovene: delo (sl) n
  • Somali: shaqo (so)
  • Sorbian:
    Lower Sorbian: źěło n
  • Sotho: mosebetsi (st)
  • Spanish: trabajo (es) m, curro (es) m (colloquial), laburo (es) m
  • Swahili: kazi (sw)
  • Swedish: arbete (sv) n, jobb (sv) n
  • Sylheti: ꠇꠣꠝ (xam)
  • Tagalog: isi, trabaho (tl)
  • Tajik: кор (tg) (kor), шуғл (šuġl)
  • Tamil: வேலை (ta) (vēlai)
  • Tatar: эш (tt) (eş), хезмәт (tt) (xezmät)
  • Telugu: కూలీపని (kūlīpani), ఉద్యోగము (te) (udyōgamu), వృత్తి (te) (vr̥tti)
  • Tetum: serbisu
  • Thai: การงาน (gaan-ngaan), งาน (th) (ngaan), แรงงาน (th) (rɛɛng-ngaan)
  • Tibetan: ལས་ཀ (las ka)
  • Tigrinya: ስራሕ (səraḥ)
  • Tongan: ngāue
  • Turkish: iş (tr), meslek (tr), emek (tr)
  • Turkmen: iş, zähmet (tk)
  • Udi: аш (aš), аьш (äš)
  • Udmurt: уж (už)
  • Ukrainian: робо́та (uk) f (robóta), пра́ця (uk) f (prácja)
  • Urdu: کام‎ m (kām)
  • Uyghur: خىزمەت‎ (xizmet), ئىش‎ (ish)
  • Uzbek: ishlash (uz), mehnat (uz), ish (uz), xizmat (uz)
  • Venetian: laoro (vec) m, laóro m
  • Vietnamese: việc làm (vi), công việc (vi) (工役)
  • Votic: töö
  • Walloon: ovraedje (wa) m or f, boutaedje (wa) m, djob (wa) m (Wisconsin Walloon)
  • Welsh: gwaith (cy) m
  • West Frisian: wurk n
  • Yiddish: אַרבעט‎ f (arbet)
  • Yoruba: iṣẹ́
  • Zazaki: kar (diq) m, mesleg m, gure m
  • Zhuang: gunghcoz
  • ǃXóõ: ǀgáã
Источник

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This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.

noun

exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil.

productive or operative activity.

employment, as in some form of industry, especially as a means of earning one’s livelihood: to look for work.

one’s place of employment: Don’t phone him at work.

something on which exertion or labor is expended; a task or undertaking: The students finished their work in class.

materials, things, etc., on which one is working or is to work.

the result of exertion, labor, or activity; a deed or performance.

a product of exertion, labor, or activity: musical works.

Often works. an engineering structure, as a building or bridge.

a building, wall, trench, or the like, constructed or made as a means of fortification.

works,

  1. (used with a singular or plural verb) a place or establishment for manufacturing (often used in combination): ironworks.
  2. the working parts of a machine: the works of a watch.
  3. Theology. righteous deeds.

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.

the works, Informal.

  1. everything; all related items or matters: a hamburger with the works.
  2. harsh or cruel treatment: to give someone the works.

adjective

of, for, or concerning work: work clothes.

verb (used without object), worked or (Archaic) wrought;working.

to be employed, especially as a means of earning one’s livelihood: He hasn’t worked for six weeks.

to be in operation, as a machine: The water should not be disconnected while the pump is working.

to act or operate effectively: We all agree that this plan works.

to attain a specified condition, as by repeated movement: The nails worked loose.

to have an effect or influence, as on a person or on the mind or feelings of a person.

to move in agitation, as the features under strong emotion.

to make way with effort or under stress: The ship works to windward.

Nautical. to give slightly at the joints, as a vessel under strain at sea.

Machinery. to move improperly, as from defective fitting of parts or from wear.

to undergo treatment by labor in a given way: This dough works slowly.

to ferment, as a liquid.

verb (used with object), worked or ( Archaic except for 29, 31, 34 ) wrought;working.

to use or manage (an apparatus, contrivance, etc.): It is easy to work the camera in this mobile device.She can work many power tools.

to bring about (any result) by or as by work or effort: to work a change.

to manipulate or treat by labor: to work butter.

to put into effective operation.

to operate (a mine, farm, etc.) for productive purposes: to work a coal mine.

to carry on operations in (a district or region).

to make, fashion, or execute by work.

to achieve or win by work or effort: to work one’s passage.

to keep (a person, a horse, etc.) at work: She works her employees hard.

to cause a strong emotion in: to work a crowd into a frenzy.

to influence or persuade, especially insidiously: to work other people to one’s will.

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.

to make or decorate by needlework or embroidery: She worked a needlepoint cushion.

to cause fermentation in.

Verb Phrases

work in / into

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

work off,

  1. 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.
  2. to pay or fulfill by working: He worked off his debt by doing odd jobs.

work on / upon to exercise influence on; persuade; affect: I’ll work on her, and maybe she’ll change her mind.

work out,

  1. to bring about by work, effort, or action.
  2. to solve, as a problem.
  3. to arrive at by or as by calculation.
  4. to pay (a debt) by working instead of paying money.
  5. to exhaust, as a mine.
  6. to issue in a result.
  7. to evolve; elaborate.
  8. to amount to (a total or specified figure); add up (to): The total works out to 176.
  9. to prove effective or successful: Their marriage just didn’t work out.
  10. to practice, exercise, or train, especially in order to become proficient in an athletic sport: The boxers are working out at the gym tonight.

work over,

  1. to study or examine thoroughly: For my term paper I worked over 30 volumes of Roman history.
  2. Informal. to beat unsparingly, especially in order to obtain something or out of revenge: They threatened to work him over until he talked.

work through, to deal with successfully; come to terms with: to work through one’s feelings of guilt.

work up,

  1. to move or stir the feelings; excite.
  2. to prepare; elaborate: Work up some plans.
  3. to increase in efficiency or skill: He worked up his typing speed to 70 words a minute.

work up to, rise to a higher position; advance: He worked up to the presidency.

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Idioms about work

    at work,

    1. working, as at one’s job: He’s at work on a new novel.
    2. in action or operation: to see the machines at work.

    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.

    in the works, in preparation or being planned: A musical version of the book is in the works.

    make short work of, to finish or dispose of quickly: We made short work of the chocolate layer cake.

    out of work, unemployed; jobless: Many people in the area were out of work.

    shoot the works, Slang. to spend all one’s resources: Let’s shoot the works and order the crêpes suzette.

    work it, Informal.

    1. to arrange something: I’ll try to work it so that we can all travel together.
    2. to show off one’s body or clothing to best effect, often through movement or posing: The models were working it on the runway.Work it on the dance floor, baby!

Origin of work

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English worke, Old English worc, replacing Middle English werk(e), Old English weorc, cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon werk, Old High German werah, werc (German Werk ), Old Norse verk, Greek érgon; (verb) Middle English worken, derivative of the noun, replacing Middle English wyrchen, Old English wyrcean; cognate with German wirken, Old Norse verkja, Gothic waurkjan

OTHER WORDS FROM work

nonwork, nounpre·work, verb, pre·worked or pre·wrought, pre·work·ing.prework, noun, adjective

Words nearby work

word wrap, word wrapping, wordy, wore, wore-out, work, workable, workaday, workaholic, workaround, work back

Other definitions for work (2 of 2)

noun

Henry Clay, 1832–84, U.S. songwriter.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WHEN TO USE

What are other ways to say work?

The noun work refers to the exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something. When should you use work instead of drudgery, labor, or toil? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Words related to work

effort, endeavor, industry, job, performance, production, struggle, task, trial, activity, art, duty, employment, office, practice, responsibility, skill, thing, trade, act

How to use work in a sentence

  • I worked very loyally for him to do everything I could for him.

  • Both are recovering well after their surgeries and are already back to work.

  • The NBCU spokesperson said the company would work with each advertiser to decide how the data would be used and managed.

  • It works with the full-sized Smart Keyboard and the new Logitech keyboards.

  • At Fortune, we’ve worked to make business better since our founding 90 years ago.

  • If anything the work the two cops and the maintenance guy were doing deserves more respect and probably helped a lot more people.

  • Why, some might be asking, am I being so harsh on their work so soon after they died?

  • “I love my job and I love my city and I am committed to the work here,” he said in a statement.

  • So it might be me projecting my desires onto Archer to want to just get away from work for a few weeks.

  • To make it work almost everything else about these shows has to seem factual which is why many look like a weird Celebrity Sims.

  • Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o’-the-Wisp with untiring energy.

  • With him one is at high pressure all the time, and I have gained a good many more ideas from him than I can work up in a hurry.

  • In fact, except for Ramona’s help, it would have been a question whether even Alessandro could have made Baba work in harness.

  • The sad end of the mission to King M’Bongo has been narrated in the body of this work.

  • Entrez donc, ’tis the work of one of your compatriots; and here, though a heretic, you may consider yourself on English ground.

British Dictionary definitions for work

noun

physical or mental effort directed towards doing or making something

paid employment at a job or a trade, occupation, or profession

a duty, task, or undertaking

something done, made, etc, as a result of effort or exertiona work of art

materials or tasks on which to expend effort or exertion

the place, office, etc, where a person is employed

any piece of material that is undergoing a manufacturing operation or process; workpiece

  1. decoration or ornamentation, esp of a specified kind
  2. (in combination)wirework; woolwork

an engineering structure such as a bridge, building, etc

physics the transfer of energy expressed as the product of a force and the distance through which its point of application moves in the direction of the forceAbbreviation: W, w

a structure, wall, etc, built or used as part of a fortification system

at work

  1. at one’s job or place of employment
  2. in action; operating

make short work of informal to handle or dispose of very quickly

(modifier) of, relating to, or used for workwork clothes; a work permit

verb

(intr) to exert effort in order to do, make, or perform something

(intr) to be employed

(tr) to carry on operations, activity, etc, in (a place or area)that salesman works the southern region

(tr) to cause to labour or toilhe works his men hard

to operate or cause to operate, esp properly or effectivelyto work a lathe; that clock doesn’t work

(tr) to till or cultivate (land)

to handle or manipulate or be handled or manipulatedto work dough

to shape, form, or process or be shaped, formed, or processedto work copper

to reach or cause to reach a specific condition, esp graduallythe rope worked loose

(tr) mainly US and Canadian to solve (a mathematical problem)

(intr) to move in agitationhis face worked with anger

(tr often foll by up) to provoke or arouseto work someone into a frenzy

(tr) to effect or accomplishto work one’s revenge

to make (one’s way) with efforthe worked his way through the crowd

(tr) to make or decorate by hand in embroidery, tapestry, etcshe was working a sampler

(intr) (of a mechanism) to move in a loose or otherwise imperfect fashion

(intr) (of liquids) to ferment, as in brewing

(tr) informal to manipulate or exploit to one’s own advantage

(tr) slang to cheat or swindle

Derived forms of work

workless, adjectiveworklessness, noun

Word Origin for work

Old English weorc (n), wircan, wyrcan (vb); related to Old High German wurchen, German wirken, Old Norse yrkja, Gothic waurkjan

Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for work

The transfer of energy from one object to another, especially in order to make the second object move in a certain direction. Work is equal to the amount of force multiplied by the distance over which it is applied. If a force of 10 newtons, for example, is applied over a distance of 3 meters, the work is equal to 30 newtons per meter, or 30 joules. The unit for measuring work is the same as that for energy in any system of units, since work is simply a transfer of energy. Compare energy power.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for work

In physics, the product of a force applied, and the distance through which that force acts.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with work

In addition to the idioms beginning with work

  • work both sides of the street
  • worked up, be
  • work in
  • work it
  • work like a beaver
  • work like a charm
  • work off
  • work on
  • work one’s fingers to the bone
  • work one’s way
  • work out
  • work over
  • work up
  • work wonders

also see:

  • all in a day’s work
  • all work and no play
  • at work
  • busy work
  • dirty work
  • get down to (work)
  • good works
  • gum up (the works)
  • have one’s work cut out
  • in the works
  • make short work of
  • many hands make light work
  • out of work
  • shoot the works
  • the works
  • turn (work) out all right

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD WORK

Old English weorc (n), wircan, wyrcan (vb); related to Old High German wurchen, German wirken, Old Norse yrkja, Gothic waurkjan.

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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

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PRONUNCIATION OF WORK

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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WORK

Work is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb work in English.

WHAT DOES WORK MEAN IN ENGLISH?


Definition of work in the English dictionary

The first definition of work in the dictionary is physical or mental effort directed towards doing or making something. Other definition of work is paid employment at a job or a trade, occupation, or profession. Work is also a duty, task, or undertaking.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO WORK

PRESENT

Present

I work

you work

he/she/it works

we work

you work

they work

Present continuous

I am working

you are working

he/she/it is working

we are working

you are working

they are working

Present perfect

I have worked

you have worked

he/she/it has worked

we have worked

you have worked

they have worked

Present perfect continuous

I have been working

you have been working

he/she/it has been working

we have been working

you have been working

they have been working

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I worked

you worked

he/she/it worked

we worked

you worked

they worked

Past continuous

I was working

you were working

he/she/it was working

we were working

you were working

they were working

Past perfect

I had worked

you had worked

he/she/it had worked

we had worked

you had worked

they had worked

Past perfect continuous

I had been working

you had been working

he/she/it had been working

we had been working

you had been working

they had been working

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will work

you will work

he/she/it will work

we will work

you will work

they will work

Future continuous

I will be working

you will be working

he/she/it will be working

we will be working

you will be working

they will be working

Future perfect

I will have worked

you will have worked

he/she/it will have worked

we will have worked

you will have worked

they will have worked

Future perfect continuous

I will have been working

you will have been working

he/she/it will have been working

we will have been working

you will have been working

they will have been working

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would work

you would work

he/she/it would work

we would work

you would work

they would work

Conditional continuous

I would be working

you would be working

he/she/it would be working

we would be working

you would be working

they would be working

Conditional perfect

I would have work

you would have work

he/she/it would have work

we would have work

you would have work

they would have work

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been working

you would have been working

he/she/it would have been working

we would have been working

you would have been working

they would have been working

Conditional or «future-in-the-past» tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you work
we let´s work
you work

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Present Participle

working

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH WORK

Synonyms and antonyms of work in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS OF «WORK»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «work» and belong to the same grammatical category.

Translation of «work» into 25 languages

online translator

TRANSLATION OF WORK

Find out the translation of work to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of work from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «work» in English.

Translator English — Chinese


工作

1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English — Spanish


trabajo

570 millions of speakers

English


work

510 millions of speakers

Translator English — Hindi


काम

380 millions of speakers

Translator English — Arabic


عَمَل

280 millions of speakers

Translator English — Russian


работа

278 millions of speakers

Translator English — Portuguese


trabalho

270 millions of speakers

Translator English — Bengali


কাজ

260 millions of speakers

Translator English — French


travail

220 millions of speakers

Translator English — Malay


Kerja

190 millions of speakers

Translator English — German


Arbeit

180 millions of speakers

Translator English — Japanese


労働

130 millions of speakers

Translator English — Korean


일

85 millions of speakers

Translator English — Javanese


Karya

85 millions of speakers

Translator English — Vietnamese


công việc

80 millions of speakers

Translator English — Tamil


வேலை

75 millions of speakers

Translator English — Marathi


काम

75 millions of speakers

Translator English — Turkish


iş

70 millions of speakers

Translator English — Italian


lavoro

65 millions of speakers

Translator English — Polish


praca

50 millions of speakers

Translator English — Ukrainian


робота

40 millions of speakers

Translator English — Romanian


lucru

30 millions of speakers

Translator English — Greek


δουλειά

15 millions of speakers

Translator English — Afrikaans


werk

14 millions of speakers

Translator English — Swedish


arbete

10 millions of speakers

Translator English — Norwegian


arbeid

5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of work

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WORK»

The term «work» is very widely used and occupies the 394 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.

Trends

FREQUENCY

Very widely used

The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «work» in the different countries.

Principal search tendencies and common uses of work

List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «work».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WORK» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «work» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «work» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about work

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WORK»

Discover the use of work in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to work and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

1

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days

How? What are the secrets that make successful startups so insanely productive? Read this book, and let the founders themselves tell you.

2

Women at Work: The Transformation of Work and Community in …

Social origins study about the employment of women in the mills(1826-1860) enabled women to enjoy social and independence unknown to their mothers’ generation.

3

Weird Ideas That Work: 11 1/2 Practices for Promoting, …

Introduces the proven rules that a company can use to promote innovation, arguing that the corporate world should hire misfits and encourage them to defy the existing culture and actively consider ideas that appear ridiculous or impractical …

4

Resolving Conflicts at Work: Eight Strategies for Everyone …

Here is a completely updated edition of the best-selling Resolving Conflicts at Work.

Kenneth Cloke, Joan Goldsmith, 2011

5

Work Measurement and Methods Improvement

This text goes back to the traditional concepts of work measurement and productivity improvement as a key for productivity increases.

6

The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological …

A series of influential essays on the visual arts that were made possible by machines, and the implications for the future of culture.

Walter Benjamin, Michael William Jennings, Brigid Doherty, 2008

7

Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming

Who this book is for Programmers interested in the point of view of leaders in the field. Programmers looking for approaches that work for some of these outstanding programmers.

8

Social Work Values and Ethics

This is the leading introduction 200to professional values and ethics in social work.

9

More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology …

Shows how new, supposedly time-saving inventions have both increased the workload and improved the standard of living This book has a dual focus.

Ruth Schwartz Cowan, 1983

Multidisciplinary research on dynamics, problems, and potential of distributedwork.

Pamela Hinds, Sara Kiesler, 2002

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WORK»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term work is used in the context of the following news items.

Google’s Android for Work adds Blackphone, all four major US carriers

Today the company announced that its Android for Work program is expanding to include a total of 40 partners. New device manufacturers have signed on, but … «The Verge, Jul 15»

Pentagon: Poor testing led to Army shipping live anthrax

«We believe there were indicators that people should have known there was a problem,» Work said. He’s directed Secretary of the Army John McHugh to conduct … «USA TODAY, Jul 15»

Majority of poor children live in working families, IFS study finds

Nearly two-thirds of British children in poverty live in working families, the Institute for … A government spokesperson said: “Work remains the best route out of … «The Guardian, Jul 15»

The 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials in 2015

Fortune and Great Place to Work have published their first-ever ranking of the best workplaces for millennial workers — a list of 100 employers who scored the … «Fortune, Jun 15»

How we chose the Best Places to Work in IT 2015

For the 22nd year in a row, Computerworld conducted a survey to identify the 100 best places to work for IT professionals. As we first did in 2014, this year we … «Computerworld, Jun 15»

Cameron refuses to rule out cutting disability benefits affecting those …

Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, has claimed that Labour increased tax credits to “buy votes” when it was in office. Addressing Labour’s … «The Guardian, Jun 15»

Black Work review: ‘pacy, tight and intriguing, but it’s no Line of Duty’

That – undercover police work – is the Black Work of the title. He was also bugging his own wife – not as in annoying her a bit, but covertly recording Jo, in the … «The Guardian, Jun 15»

It’s Bike to Work Week! Commuter Freebies and 4 Tips for First-Timers

May is National Bike Month, and in 2015, May 11 to 15 is Bike to Work Week, wrapping up with another self-explanatory event, Bike to Work Day, on Friday, May … «TIME, May 15»

Taking Our Nation’s Daughters and Sons to Work

Each fourth Thursday of April, millions of children across the country participate in Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. At the White House, we usually … «The White House, Mar 15»

22% of students consider sex work — Swansea University study

The Student Sex Work Project was carried out by Swansea University’s Centre for Criminal Justice and Criminology and funded by the Big Lottery Fund. «BBC News, Mar 15»

REFERENCE

« EDUCALINGO. Work [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/work>. Apr 2023 ».

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