- work
- {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun1 effort/product of effortADJECTIVE▪ hard▪
It's hard work trying to get him to do a few things for himself.
▪It doesn't require skill—it's a matter of sheer hard work.
▪ arduous, back-breaking, challenging, complicated, demanding, difficult, gruelling/grueling, intensive, labour-intensive/labor-intensive, tiring, tough▪The show is the product of two years' intensive work.
▪ tireless▪Through their tireless work, they proved his innocence.
▪ rewarding▪ heavy▪They employ a couple of young men to do the heavy work.
▪ donkey (BrE, informal)▪I did the donkey work (= hard work requiring little skill) but I hired a professional for the hard part.
▪ grunt (AmE, informal)▪He has done the grunt work (= the hard, boring part of a task), sifting through thousands of official records.
▪ light▪She's only allowed to do a little light work because of her bad arm.
▪ easy▪ close▪I need to wear glasses for close work.
▪ physical▪ delicate▪ dangerous▪ dirty▪Engine maintenance is dirty work.
▪The drugs gang used children to do their dirty work for them. (figurative)
▪ monotonous, repetitive, tedious▪ fascinating, interesting▪ purposeful▪Many unemployed people welcome the chance to do purposeful work, even if unpaid.
▪ valuable▪The research institute needs funds in order to carry on its valuable work.
▪ professional▪ men's, women's▪They think that caring for children is women's work.
▪ intellectual, mental▪ creative, imaginative▪ practical (see also fieldwork, paperwork)▪ detective, investigative▪ undercover▪The scandal was revealed after months of undercover work by journalists.
▪ leg (usually legwork)▪Her job as a market researcher involves a lot of legwork (= walking around to collect information).
▪ class, course (usually coursework), school (usually schoolwork)▪She was getting distracted from her schoolwork.
▪ written▪His written work is the best in the class.
▪ individual▪ group▪ project▪ collaborative, joint▪classroom activities involving collaborative work between children
▪The report is the joint work of an economist and a sociologist.
▪ remedial, restoration▪The poorly designed bridge needs remedial work to make it safe.
▪ background, preliminary, preparatory▪ follow-up▪ extra▪He's willing to do extra work to get the project finished on time.
▪ honest▪He preferred to make his money from honest work rather than from gambling.
▪ excellent, good, nice (informal), outstanding, sterling (esp. BrE)▪Nice work, James! I'm impressed.
▪In accepting the award, she mentioned the sterling work of her assistants.
▪ careful, meticulous, painstaking▪ poor, shoddy, sloppy▪ charitable, humanitarian▪ community, youth▪ missionary▪ groundbreaking, innovative, pioneering▪He did pioneering work on microbes.
▪ empirical, experimental▪ theoretical▪ academic, commercial, educational, environmental, scientific▪ building, construction▪ cosmetic, dental▪She's had a lot of dental work done.
▪ your own▪Is this all your own work (= did you do it without help from others)?
… OF WORK▪ bit, piece▪It was an interesting piece of work.
VERB + WORK▪ carry out, do, put in▪All the construction work was carried out in 2001.
▪I had lots of work to do.
▪She's put in a lot of work on the design.
▪ get done, have done▪I think I'd better try and get some work done.
▪We're going to have some building work done on the house.
▪ create, make▪All these visitors make a lot of work for me.
▪ produce▪Work produced on a computer tends to look more professional.
▪ get, have▪We get far too much work at this time of year.
▪ take on, undertake▪I've taken on more work than I have time to do.
▪ create, make▪Small children make a lot of work for their parents.
▪ begin, commence, get down to, set about, set to, start▪They began work on the project last year.
▪Stop talking and get down to work.
▪We set to work on the outside of the house (= for example, painting it).
▪ go about▪She went cheerfully about her work.
▪ carry on, continue, resume▪ complete, finish▪ halt, hold up, stop▪Work on the project was halted.
▪ lose▪They lost the work to a competitor.
▪ undo▪The new president spent the first year undoing the work of his predecessor.
▪ oversee, supervise▪The assistant manager supervises work on the factory floor.
▪ check, inspect▪ admire, appreciate, value▪I really appreciate all your hard work.
▪ support▪We give grants to support the work of voluntary organizations.
▪ set sb to▪She set them to work painting the fence.
▪ require▪To carry out accurate market research requires a huge amount of work.
▪ hand in, submit▪We're supposed to hand in this work tomorrow.
WORK + VERB▪ come▪The work comes in bursts according to the time of year.
▪ wait▪That work can wait until tomorrow.
▪ go▪How's the work going this morning?
▪ involve sth▪What does the work involve?
▪ begin, start▪ continue, go on▪ come to a halt, grind to a halt▪Work came to a complete halt in the summer.
▪ cost▪How much will the work cost?
WORK + NOUN▪ ethic▪ rate▪Her boss told her she had to increase her work rate.
▪ habit▪Children can learn good work habits at school.
▪ programme/program, schedule▪ crew (AmE)▪The construction company has three work crews of five men each.
▪ load (usually workload)▪The instructor's work load was becoming increasingly heavy.
▪ flow▪Her job is to manage the company's work flow.
▪ surface▪Work surfaces should be left clear and clean.
PREPOSITION▪ at work▪He's been hard at work all morning.
▪ work on▪I have to do some work on the car before it'll be ready.
▪ work with▪She's done a lot of work with disadvantaged children.
PHRASES▪ a backlog of work▪It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.
▪ keep up the good work▪The hotel manager thanked the staff and told them to keep up the good work.
▪ your life's work▪The art collection was his life's work.
▪ make light work of sth, make short work of sth (= to do sth quickly and easily)▪Mike made short work of fixing the engine.
▪ not a stroke of work (esp. BrE)▪She never does a stroke of work.
▪ pressure of work▪Pressure of work forced him to cancel the cruise.
▪ work in progress▪The showroom has been designed so that people can see work in progress.
2 jobADJECTIVE▪ paid, unpaid▪She is now looking for paid work outside the home.
▪ lucrative, well-paid▪ badly paid▪ full-time, part-time▪ permanent▪ temporary▪ regular, steady▪He hasn't been in regular work since he left school.
▪ casual▪During the college vacations he does casual work in the local hospital.
▪ freelance▪ voluntary, volunteer▪ skilled▪ semi-skilled▪ unskilled▪ manual▪ indoor, outdoor▪ daily, day-to-day, everyday, routine▪People went about their daily work despite the war.
▪Ambulance crews alternate between emergency and routine work.
▪ piece▪It's piece work, so how much you earn depends on how fast you can work.
▪ administrative, clerical, office, secretarial▪ managerial▪ domestic▪ social▪ research▪ agricultural, farm▪ building▪ nice (informal, humorous)▪A hundred grand for two days a week? Nice work if you can get it!
VERB + WORK▪ have▪He has some freelance work at the moment.
▪ look for▪He got laid off, so now he's looking for work again.
▪ find, get▪Full-time work is hard to find.
▪ go to▪I go to work by bus.
▪ go out to▪Some mothers of young children choose not to go out to work.
▪ start▪ finish, knock off (informal)▪What time do you finish work?
▪ stop▪She stops work at the end of this month.
▪ give up▪Just before he was sixty, he decided to give up work.
▪ go back to, return to▪She has just returned to work after the birth of her child.
▪ allocate, give▪ outsource▪ coordinate▪Sales reps meet up monthly to coordinate their work.
▪ enjoy, love▪I'm lucky—I love my work.
WORK + VERB▪ go▪Work's going well at the moment.
▪ start▪What time does work start in the morning?
▪ finish▪ consist of sth, include sth, involve sth▪Her work consists of drawing up and coordinating schedules.
WORK + NOUN▪ day (esp. AmE), hours, week (esp. AmE)▪Employees must not make personal calls during work hours.
▪ force (usually workforce)▪ place (usually workplace)▪ area, environment, room (usually workroom)▪ station (usually workstation)▪ boots (esp. AmE), clothes▪ schedule▪ experience▪The opportunities will depend on your work experience.
▪He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering company. (BrE)
▪ permit, visa▪ incentive▪High income tax can undermine work incentives.
▪ practice▪An independent report has described some work practices in the industry as old-fashioned.
▪ stoppagePREPOSITION▪ at work▪‘Where's Diane?’ ‘She's at work.’
▪We had a party at work.
▪ in (your) work▪With so much unemployment, I'm lucky to be in work. (BrE)
▪It's important to be happy in your work.
▪ off work (esp. BrE)▪She's been off work with a bad back since July.
▪ out of work▪He's been out of work since the factory closed.
▪ through work▪I met him through work.
PHRASES▪ a line of work▪‘What line of work are you in?’ ‘Computing.’
▪ a place of work3 book/music/artADJECTIVE▪ classic, fine, great▪ definitive, seminal▪Her book is still considered the definitive work on beetles.
▪ best-known, well-known▪ important, influential▪ erudite, scholarly▪ ambitious▪ creative▪ literary▪ dramatic▪ critical▪ autobiographical, biographical▪ artistic▪ photographic▪ sculptural▪ art (usually artwork)▪The artwork in the book is superb.
▪ untitled▪ completed, finished▪The finished work will be on view in the city art gallery.
▪ unfinished▪ collaborative▪ solo▪ commissioned▪He does mainly commissioned portrait works.
▪ abstract, figurative, graphic▪ choral, orchestral▪ guitar, piano, etc.▪ collected, complete▪the collected works of Stephen King
▪ early▪ late, mature▪Picasso's mature works
▪ latest, present, previous, recent▪These paintings are more abstract than her previous work.
▪ copyrighted▪People are using file-sharing to steal copyrighted works.
▪ published▪Her portfolio includes published works in several magazines.
▪ derivative▪ original… OF WORK▪ series▪ collection, exhibit (AmE), exhibition (esp. BrE)▪The gallery is staging a special exhibition of Monet's early works.
VERB + WORK▪ compose, create, produce, write▪Beethoven composed his greatest works in the latter part of his life.
▪ choreograph, conduct, translate▪ commission▪ perform, play▪ hear, read, see▪Her work can be seen in most of the major European galleries.
▪ conduct, direct, edit, produce, publish, put on▪Over the next two years, the company is putting on the complete works of Brecht.
▪ display, exhibit, feature, show, showcase▪The town hall is exhibiting works by local artists.
▪ acclaim, admire, appreciate, praise▪ critique (esp. AmE), discuss, review▪ inform, inspire▪A love of landscape informs all his work.
WORK + VERB▪ be called sth, be entitled sth, be titled sth (esp. AmE)▪a work entitled ‘The Sacrifice’
▪ depict sth, describe sth, represent sth▪The work represents a synthesis of the natural and the artificial.
▪ consist of sth▪a work consisting of twelve small blank canvases
▪ appear, be on show, go on show▪Her work appears at the Museum of Contemporary Art this summer.
PREPOSITION▪ in a/the work▪She's studying the theme of death in the works of Beckett.
▪ work by▪a work by an unknown 18th-century writer
PHRASES▪ a work of art, a work of fiction, a work of literature▪The building is hated by some and considered a work of art by others.
▪They discovered that his report was a complete work of fiction. (humorous)
▪ a work of genius▪Her latest novel is a work of genius.
4 (also works esp. BrE) building/repairingADJECTIVE▪ extensive, major▪ road (usually roadworks in BrE and roadwork in AmE)▪ maintenance, repair, restorationVERB + WORKS▪ carry out▪We are planning to carry out major works on the site.
▪ plan▪ announceWORKS + VERB▪ continue, go on▪The works will continue until the end of July.
▪ be completed, finishPREPOSITION▪ at the work (BrE)▪A contraflow is in operation at the works near Junction 5.
5 works (esp. BrE) factoryADJECTIVE▪ brick, iron, steel (usually brickworks, etc.)▪ railway (BrE)▪ sewage, treatment▪The smell is believed to have originated from the sewage works.
▪Scotland's biggest water treatment works
VERB + WORKS▪ open▪ close, close down, shut downWORKS + VERB▪ open▪ close, close down▪The steelworks closed in 1986.
WORKS + NOUN▪ manager, supervisor▪ canteen (BrE)PREPOSITION▪ at the work▪{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}the night shift at the works
verb1 do a job/taskADVERB▪ hard▪He had been working hard all morning.
▪ tirelessly▪ assiduously, busily, diligently, methodically▪ feverishly, frantically▪ steadily▪ slowly▪ quickly▪ around the clock, round the clock (esp. BrE)▪Emergency teams were working around the clock to make the homes secure.
▪ full-time, part-time▪A lot of mothers choose to work part-time.
▪ illegally▪He was found to be working illegally and was deported.
▪ effectively, efficiently, productively▪I work more efficiently on my own.
▪ actively▪We are actively working to increase the number of women in science.
▪ closely, collaboratively, cooperatively, together▪people who have worked closely together over a period of time
▪ harmoniously▪We have proved that different groups can work harmoniously together.
▪ alone, independently, individually▪ directly▪She works directly with customers.
▪ primarily▪I work primarily with young children.
▪ away▪We worked steadily away all morning.
VERB + WORK▪ continue to▪ choose to, prefer to▪I prefer to work as part of a team.
▪ motivate sb to▪Employees are motivated to work harder for a whole host of different reasons.
▪ enable sb to▪I needed a job which would enable me to work at home.
▪ refuse toPREPOSITION▪ as▪He's working as a teacher at the moment.
▪ at▪I've spent three hours working at this problem.
▪ for▪She works for an oil company.
▪ on▪We are working on plans for a new swimming pool.
▪ towards/toward▪They are all working towards/toward a common goal.
▪ with▪the people you work with
▪ within▪An architect must work within the confines of the laws of physics.
2 function; have a result/effectADVERB▪ correctly, effectively, efficiently, properly, satisfactorily, well▪Everything worked very smoothly.
▪ flawlessly, perfectly, seamlessly, smoothly▪ beautifully, brilliantly, splendidly (esp. BrE), wonderfully▪ independently▪The fish's eyes can work independently of each other.
▪ differently▪ synergistically (esp. AmE)VERB + WORK▪ seem toPHRASES▪ work like a charm, work like magic▪Her strategy worked like a charm.
▪ work to sb's advantage, work to sb's disadvantage▪You can make your youth work to your advantage.
PHRASAL VERBwork outADVERB▪ beautifully, fine, great, perfectly, well▪ badlyPREPOSITION▪ as▪It all worked out as we planned.
▪ between▪I told her I didn't think things would work out between us.
▪ for▪Things worked out well for Janet in the end.
▪ to▪This all works out to around $11 000.
Work is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑anaesthetic, ↑approach, ↑artist, ↑brain, ↑brake, ↑computer, ↑cure, ↑device, ↑diplomacy, ↑effort, ↑employee, ↑equipment, ↑evolution, ↑experiment, ↑flash, ↑heating, ↑idea, ↑imagination, ↑immigrant, ↑labourer, ↑link, ↑lung, ↑machine, ↑magic, ↑mechanism, ↑metaphor, ↑method, ↑mind, ↑motor, ↑muscle, ↑plan, ↑ploy, ↑printer, ↑process, ↑relationship, ↑remedy, ↑scheme, ↑scientist, ↑sculptor, ↑servant, ↑staff, ↑strategy, ↑system, ↑tactic, ↑technique, ↑thing, ↑tractor, ↑traffic light, ↑trainee, ↑trick, ↑volunteer, ↑watch, ↑worker
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
