work
[noun]
Synonyms:
- effort, drudgery, elbow grease (facetious), exertion, industry, labour, sweat, toil
- employment, business, duty, job, livelihood, occupation, profession, trade
- task, assignment, chore, commission, duty, job, stint, undertaking
- creation, achievement, composition, handiwork, opus, piece, production
[verb]
Synonyms:
- labour, drudge, exert oneself, peg away, slave, slog (away), sweat, toil
- be employed, be in work
- operate, control, drive, handle, manage, manipulate, move, use
- function, go, operate, run
- cultivate, dig, farm, till
- manipulate, fashion, form, knead, mould, shape

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Antonyms: play
Related Words: art, craft, handicraft, métier, profession, trade, vocation, walk, effort, exertion, pains, trouble, chore, duty, job, elucubration, striving, spadework

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English Thesaurus: job, work, profession, occupation, career, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. work¹ S1 W1 /wɜːk $ wɜːrk/ verb
[Word Family: noun: work, workaholic, worker, working, WORKINGS; adjective: workable ≠ unworkable, overworked, working; verb: work, rework]
[Language: Old English; Origin: wyrcan]

1. DO A JOB FOR MONEY [intransitive] to do a job that you are paid for:
Where do you work?
Many young people in the area have never worked.
The injury means he’ll probably never work again.
work for
He works for a law firm.
work at/in
I work at the university.
work as
She works as a consultant for a design company.
work in industry/education/publishing etc
The studies were undertaken by people working in education.
work part-time/full-time
I work part-time in a library.

2. DO YOUR JOB [intransitive and transitive] to do the activities and duties that are part of your job:
Sally isn’t working tomorrow.
Staff will have to get used to a new way of working.
work with
One of the women I work with is getting married this weekend.
work under somebody (=have someone who is in charge of you)
Each site has a fully trained team who work under a site manager.
work days/nights/weekends etc
I get paid more if I work nights.
We’re sometimes expected to work twelve-hour days.
Are you working late (=working after the time you usually finish) again tonight?
Forty police officers are working round the clock (=working day and night without stopping) to find Murray’s killer.
Nowadays, many people are able to work from home.

3. HELP [intransitive] if you work with someone or a group of people, your job involves trying to help them
work with/among
She’s just retired after 38 years working with children.
He has worked among some of the world’s poorest people.

4. DO AN ACTIVITY [intransitive] to spend time and effort doing something:
I’ve been working in the garden all afternoon.
I’m going to have to work really hard to pass these exams.
We’re working together to develop a new system.

5. TRY TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING [intransitive] to try continuously to achieve a particular thing
work towards
They are working towards a solution to their problems.
work for
We will work for the release of the hostages.
work to do something
The police are working to provide more help for victims of crime.
The company is working hard to improve its image.
He worked tirelessly (=worked very hard in a determined way) for the charity throughout his life.

6. MACHINE/EQUIPMENT
a) [intransitive] if a machine or piece of equipment works, it does what it is supposed to do:
You should check that the smoke alarm is working properly.
The delete key doesn’t work.
get something to work
I can’t get the heater to work.
b) [transitive] to make a machine or piece of equipment do what it is supposed to do:
My parents can’t even work the video.

7. BE EFFECTIVE/SUCCESSFUL [intransitive] to be effective or successful:
Making a marriage work can take a lot of effort.
I’ve never found a diet that works.
The recipe works just as well if you use margarine instead of butter.
The cream works immediately to relieve sore skin.
work for
You need to find which method works best for you.
work against
a drug that works against some types of cancer

8. HAVE AN EFFECT [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if something such as a fact, situation, or system works in a particular way, it has a particular effect on someone or something:
The arrangement works well for everyone involved.
The French team are the heavier crew, which should work in their favour (=help them).
Sexism still works against (=harms or causes problems for) women in many professions.
Loyalty works both ways (=involves two opposite or matching effects): we are loyal to our employees and, in turn, they are loyal to us.

9. ART/STYLE/LITERATURE [intransitive] if a painting, design, piece of writing etc works, it is successful because it has the effect on you that the painter, writer etc intended:
I don’t think the scene with the horses really works, do you?
work for
The colour combination just doesn’t work for me.

10. SHAPE/CUT SOMETHING [transitive] if you work a material such as metal, leather, or clay, you cut, sew, or shape it in order to make something

11. USE A SUBSTANCE [intransitive] to use a particular material or substance in order to make something such as a picture, design, jewellery etc
work in/with
a sculptor who works in steel
a jeweller who works with silver

12. work your way to/through etc something
a) to move somewhere slowly and with difficulty:
From here, we worked our way carefully across the rock base.
b) to achieve something gradually by working:
He had worked his way up to head of department.

13. work your way through school/college/university etc to do a job while you are a student because you need the money to pay for your courses, books etc

14. MOVE GRADUALLY [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to move into a particular state or position very gradually, either in a series of small movements or after a long time:
Slowly he worked the screwdriver into the crack.
work (its way) loose
One of the screws must have worked loose.

15. EXERCISE [transitive] to use and exercise a muscle or part of your body:
Swimming is a form of exercise that works every muscle in your body.

16. MOVE [intransitive and transitive] formal if a part of your body works or you work it, it moves:
She was trembling and her mouth was working.

17. WORK IN AN AREA [transitive] if you work a particular area or type of place, you travel around the area for your job, or work in that type of place:
Markowitz works the Tri-State area.

18. work the door to take tickets from people as they enter a club, theatre etc:
Binns worked the door at various Manhattan clubs.

19. ENTERTAIN A CROWD [transitive] if an entertainer or politician works a crowd of people, they entertain them and get their interest or support:
She really knew how to work a crowd.

20. LAND/SOIL [transitive] if you work the land, soil etc, you do all the work necessary to grow crops on it:
He was left to work the farm alone.

21. MINE [transitive] to remove a substance such as coal, gold, or oil from under the ground

22. work like magic/work like a charm (also work a treat British English) to be very effective:
a polish that works a treat on windows

23. MIND/BRAIN [intransitive] if your mind or brain is working, you are thinking or trying to solve a problem

24. work on the principle/assumption/basis etc that to base ideas, plans etc on a particular fact that you think is true:
We’re working on the assumption that the conference will take place in Canada, as planned.

25. work yourself into a frenzy/panic/state etc to make yourself become very nervous, angry etc:
He seemed to be working himself into a rage.

26. work it/things spoken to make arrangements for something to happen, especially by behaving in a clever or skilful way:
We should try and work it so that we can all go together.

27. work the system to understand how a system works so that you can get advantages for yourself, often in a slightly dishonest way:
Lynn could show the rest of us how to work the system.

28. work somebody hard (also work somebody into the ground informal) to make someone work very hard:
The coach has been working us really hard this week.
People have complained that they are being worked into the ground.
work yourself into the ground
I’ve worked myself into the ground setting up this interview.

29. work your fingers to the bone (also work your socks off informal) to work very hard

30. work your butt/ass/arse off not polite to work very hard

31. CALCULATE [transitive] American English formal to calculate the answer to a mathematical problem

32. work to rule British English to protest about a situation at work by doing your job slowly, with the excuse that you must obey all the rules exactly

33. It works for me spoken used to say that something is very suitable for you and does exactly what you wanted or expected:
I meditate and do Yoga every day. It works for me and I think it could work for you too.
⇒ work wonders at wonder²(4), ⇒ work miracles at miracle(4), ⇒ work your magic at magic¹(5)
work around somebody/something (also work round somebody/something British English) phrasal verb
to arrange or organize something so that you avoid problems that may stop you from doing something:
John won’t be here on the 15th so we’ll have to work round that.
work around to something (also work round to something British English) phrasal verb
to gradually mention a subject in a conversation or piece of writing, especially because it is embarrassing:
You’ll have to work round to the subject gradually.
work at something phrasal verb
to try hard to improve something or achieve something:
Learning a language isn’t easy. You have to work at it.
work at doing something
couples who want to work at improving their relationship
work somebody/something in phrasal verb

1. work something ↔ in (also work something into something) to include something in a speech, piece of writing, activity etc:
He managed to work in a few references to his new book.
Here are a few goodies you can work into your daily diet.

2. work something ↔ in (also work something into something) to add one substance to another and mix them together in a very thorough way:
Work the butter into the flour.

3. American English spoken to arrange to meet someone, even though you are very busy Synonym : fit somebody in British English:
My schedule’s pretty full, but I think I can work you in.
work something ↔ off phrasal verb

1. to get rid of something, especially a feeling such as anger, nervousness etc, by doing something that uses a lot of your energy:
Walking is excellent for working off tension.
I need to go and work off a few of these calories.

2. to do a job for someone else because you owe them money or because they have helped you in the past:
She hasn’t worked off her debts to me yet.
work on somebody/something phrasal verb

1. to spend time working in order to produce or repair something:
He has spent the last two years working on a book about childcare.
Every weekend you see him working on his car.

2. to try very hard to improve or achieve something:
A trainer has been brought in to work on her fitness.
work on doing something
We need to work on ensuring that the children feel safe and confident.

3. to try continuously to influence someone or persuade them to do something:
You leave him to me. I’ll work on him.
work out phrasal verb

1. PLAN work something ↔ out to think carefully about how you are going to do something and plan a good way of doing it:
UN negotiators have worked out a set of compromise proposals.
work out what/where/how etc
We need to work out how we’re going to get there.
I had it all worked out (=had made very careful plans).

2. CALCULATE work something ↔ out to calculate an answer, amount, price etc:
See if you can work this bill out.
work out how much/how many etc
We’ll have to work out how much food we’ll need for the party.

3. UNDERSTAND work something ↔ out especially British English to think about something and manage to understand it:
The plot is very complicated – it’ll take you a while to work it out.
work something out for yourself
I’m sure you can work it out for yourself.

4. COST if a cost or amount works out at a particular figure, it is found to be that much when you calculate it
work out at/to £10/$500 etc
The bill works out at £15 each.
work out expensive/cheap etc (=be expensive or cheap)
If we go by taxi, it’s going to work out very expensive.

5. GET BETTER if a problem or complicated situation works out, it gradually gets better or gets solved:
Things will work out, you’ll see.
I hope it all works out for Gina and Andy.
work itself out
I’m sure everything will work itself out.

6. HAPPEN if a situation works out in a particular way, it happens in that way Synonym : turn out
work out well/badly
Financially, things have worked out well for us.

7. EXERCISE to make your body fit and strong by doing exercises:
He works out with weights twice a week. ⇒ workout

8. I can’t work somebody out British English spoken used to say that you cannot understand what someone is really like or why they behave in the way they do:
I couldn’t work her out at all.

9. be worked out if a mine is worked out, all the coal, gold etc has been removed from it
work somebody over phrasal verb informal
to attack someone by hitting them several times
work through phrasal verb

1. work through something to deal with problems or unpleasant feelings:
After someone dies, it can take a long time to work through your grief.

2. if the result or effect of something works through, it becomes noticeable:
The positive effect on businesses may take up to three years to work through.
work up phrasal verb

1. work up enthusiasm/interest/courage etc to make yourself feel interested, brave etc:
I’m trying to work up enough courage to go to the dentist.

2. work up an appetite/a thirst/a sweat to make yourself hungry or thirsty, or make yourself sweat, especially by doing physical exercise:
You can work up a really big thirst playing tennis.

3. work somebody up to make someone very angry, excited, or upset about something
work yourself up
You’re working yourself up again.
She had worked herself up into a state. ⇒ worked up

4. work something ↔ up to develop and improve something such as a project or a piece of writing:
Jack took notes which he would work up into a report later.
work up to something phrasal verb
to gradually prepare yourself to do something difficult
work up to doing something
He’d been working up to asking her for a date all week.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. work² S1 W1 noun
[Word Family: noun: work, workaholic, worker, working, WORKINGS; adjective: workable ≠ unworkable, overworked, working; verb: work, rework]
[Language: Old English; Origin: werc, weorc]

1. JOB [uncountable] a job or activity that you do regularly, especially in order to earn money ⇒ employment:
There isn’t a lot of work at this time of the year.
He’s been out of work (=without a job) for two years.
More people are in work (=have a job) than ten years ago.
before/after work (=before a day of work or at the end of a day of work)
Do you want to go for a drink after work?
GRAMMAR
In this meaning, work is an uncountable noun. Do not say 'a work'. Say work or a job:
It may be difficult for older people to obtain paid work.
I applied for a job (NOT a work) as a reporter.

2. PLACE [uncountable] a place where you do your job, which is not your home:
I had an accident on the way to work.
He left work at the usual time.
I went out with the girls from work last night.
at work
Dad’s at work right now.

3. DUTIES [uncountable] the duties and activities that are part of your job:
A large part of the work we do involves using computers.
He starts work at 4 am.
He’s started a business doing gardening and roofing work.

4. RESULT [uncountable] something that you produce as a result of doing your job or doing an activity:
Send a résumé and examples of your work.
The building is the work of architect Rafael Moneo.
The teacher should make sure that each child has a piece of work displayed on the wall.
The standard of work has declined.

5. PAPERS ETC [uncountable] the papers and other materials you need for doing work:
Can you move some of your work off the kitchen table?
I often have to take work home with me.

6. BOOK/PAINTING/MUSIC [countable] something such as a painting, play, piece of music etc that is produced by a painter, writer, or musician:
the Collected Works of Shakespeare
It is another accomplished work by the artist. ⇒ work of art

7. ACTIVITY [uncountable] when you use physical or mental effort in order to achieve something
work on
Work will start next month on a new swimming pool in the centre of the city.
Looking after children can be hard work.
carry out/do work
You should not allow unqualified people to carry out work on your house.
set to work/get down to work (=start work)
He set to work immediately.

8. STUDY [uncountable] study or research, especially for a particular purpose
carry out/do work
The centre carries out work to monitor trends in housing management.
He did his postgraduate work in Sociology.

9. at work
a) doing your job or a particular activity:
He spent most of his time watching the fishermen at work.
b) having a particular influence or effect:
Volcanoes display some of nature’s most powerful forces at work.

10. the (whole) works spoken used after mentioning several things, to emphasize that someone or something has everything you can think of:
The hotel had everything – sauna, swimming pool, the works.

11. nice work/quick work spoken used to praise someone for doing something well or quickly:
That was quick work!

12. something is in the works/pipeline informal used to say that something is being planned or developed:
Upgrades to the existing software are in the works.

13. works
a) [plural] activities involved in building or repairing things such as roads, bridges etc
engineering works/irrigation works/roadworks
the official in charge of the engineering works ⇒ public works
b) [countable] (plural works) a building or group of buildings in which goods are produced in large quantities or an industrial process happens
ironworks/gasworks/cement works
The brick works closed last year.

14. the works the moving parts of a machine Synonym : mechanism

15. OPERATION [uncountable] an operation to make you look younger or more attractive Synonym : cosmetic surgery:
All these celebrities have had work done.

16. have your work cut out (for you) informal used to say that it will be very difficult to do something:
The team will have their work cut out if they are to win the competition.

17. make short/light work of something to do something very quickly and easily:
A microwave oven can make light work of the cooking.

18. make heavy/hard work of something to do something with difficulty:
They made hard work of what should have been an easy game.

19. be a work in progress to not be finished or perfect yet:
The garden is still very much a work in progress.

20. all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) used to say that you should not spend all your time working, but should spend some of your time relaxing

21. FORCE [uncountable] technical force multiplied by distance
⇒ be all in a day’s work at day(21), ⇒ do sb’s dirty work at dirty¹(8), ⇒ a nasty piece of work at nasty(7), ⇒ nice work if you can get it at nice(12)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

work
noun
I. effort/product of effort
ADJ. 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, intensive, labour-intensive, tiring, tough The show is the product of two years' intensive work.
rewarding | heavy They employ a couple of young men to do the heavy work.
donkey I did the donkey work (= hard work requiring little skill) but I hired a professional builder for the tricky bits.
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. (figurative) The drugs gang used children to do their dirty work for them.
humdrum, 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.
paid, unpaid | professional | men's, women's They think that looking after children is women's work.
intellectual, mental | creative, imaginative | practical (see also fieldwork, paperwork) | investigative | undercover The scandal was revealed after months of undercover work by journalists.
leg (also legwork) Her job as a market researcher involves a lot of legwork (= walking around to collect information).
course (also coursework) | 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 The poorly designed bridge needs remedial work to make it safe.
background, preliminary, preparatory | follow-up | honest He preferred to make his money from honest work rather than from gambling.
good, nice (informal), outstanding, sterling 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 | ground-breaking, innovative, pioneering He did pioneering work on microbes. | experimental | academic, commercial, educational, environmental, scientific | building, construction | your own Is this all your own work (= did you do it without help from others)?
QUANT. 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've got lots of work to do today. 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.
produce Work produced on a word processor 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've got time to do.
create, make Big football matches make a lot of work for the police.
begin, commence, get down to, set about/to, start They began work on the project towards the end of the 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 | 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
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 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 standstill Work came to a complete standstill when rumours of redundancies started to circulate.
cost How much will the work cost?
WORK + NOUN ethic | rate Her boss told her she had to increase her work rate.
programme, schedule | surface Work surfaces should be left clear and clean.
PREP. at ~ He's been hard at work all morning.
~ on I have to do some work on the engine before it'll be ready to drive.
~ 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 for their efforts so far and told them to keep up the good work.
your life's work The art collection was his life's work.
make light/short work of sth (= to do sth quickly and easily) Mike made short work of fixing the engine.
never/not a stroke of work She never does a stroke of work.
pressure of work Pressure of work forced him to cancel his holiday.
work in progress The showroom has been designed so that people can see work in progress.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

work
II. job
ADJ. 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 In the college vacations he does casual work in the local hospital.
freelance | voluntary | 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 (humorous) A hundred grand for two days a week? Nice work if you can get it!
VERB + WORK have He's got a bit of freelance work at the moment.
look for He got made redundant, so now he's looking for work again.
find, get Full-time work is hard to find.
go to I go to work on the bus.
go out to Some mothers of young children choose not to go out to work.
start | finish, knock off 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.
coordinate Sales reps meet up monthly to coordinate their work.
WORK + VERB go Work's going well at the moment.
start What time does work start in the morning?
finish
WORK + NOUN hours Employees must not make personal calls in work hours.
place (also workplace) | area, environment, room (also workroom) | station (also workstation) | roster, schedule | experience He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.
permit | incentive High income tax can undermine work incentives.
practice An independent report has described some work practices in the industry as old-fashioned.
PREP. at ~ ‘Where's Diane?’ ‘She's at work.’ We had a party at work.
in (your) ~ With so much unemployment, I'm lucky to be in work. It's important to be happy in your work.
off ~ She's been off work with a bad back since July.
out of ~ He's been out of work since the factory closed.
through ~ I met him through work.
PHRASES a line of work ‘What line of work are you in?’ ‘Computing.’
a place of work

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

work
III. book/music/art
ADJ. classic, fine, great | definitive, seminal Her book is still considered the definitive work on beetles.
influential | erudite, scholarly | ambitious | literary | dramatic | critical | autobiographical, biographical | artistic | art (also artwork) The artwork in the book is superb.
abstract, figurative, graphic | choral, orchestral, piano | collected, complete the collected works of Stephen King
early | late, mature Picasso's mature works
QUANT. series | collection, exhibition
VERB + WORK compose, produce, write Beethoven composed his greatest works towards the end of his life.
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 theatre is putting on the complete works of Brecht.
display, exhibit, show The town hall is exhibiting works by local artists.
WORK + VERB be called sth, be entitled sth a work entitled ‘Forward Pass’
PREP. in a/the ~ She's studying the theme of death in the works of Beckett.
~ by a work by an unknown eighteenth century writer
PHRASES an exhibition of sb's work The gallery is staging a special exhibition of Monet's early works.
a work of art/fiction/literature The building is hated by some and considered a work of art by others. (humorous) They discovered that his CV was a complete work of fiction.
a work of genius Her latest novel is a work of genius.
 ⇒ Note at ART

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

work
IV. (also
works) building/repairing
ADJ. extensive, major | road (also roadworks) | maintenance, repair, restoration | demolition
VERB + WORK carry out We are planning to carry out major works on the site.
plan | announce
WORK + VERB continue, go on The works will continue until the end of July.
PREP. at the ~ A contraflow is in operation at the works near Junction 5.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

work
V. works: factory
VERB + WORK open | close (down), shut down
WORK + VERB turn sth out The works at Bury turned out thousands of television sets a week.
open | close (down)
WORK + NOUN foreman, manager, supervisor | canteen
PREP. at the ~ the night shift at the works

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

work
verb
I. do a job/task
ADV. hard He had been working hard all morning.
steadily | round the clock Emergency teams were working round the clock to make the homes secure.
full-time, part-time A lot of mothers choose to work part-time.
efficiently I work more efficiently on my own.
closely, collaboratively, together people who have worked closely together over a period of time
alone, independently | 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 to
PREP. 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.
with the people you work with

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

work
II. function; have a result/effect
ADV. effectively, efficiently, perfectly, properly, satisfactorily, smoothly, well Everything worked very smoothly.
independently My limbs seemed to be working independently of each other.
VERB + WORK seem to PHRASAL VERBS work out
ADV. perfectly, well | badly
PREP. for Things worked out well for Janet in the end.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

work

start work
He started work as a trainee accountant.
look for work (also seek work formal)
Young people come to town looking for work.
find work (=get a job)
It was difficult for them to find work.
return to work/go back to work
His doctor agreed he was fit enough to return to work.
part-time work
In recent years part-time work has become more popular.
full-time work
Are you available for full-time work?
paid work
She hasn’t done any paid work since she had children.
secretarial/clerical/office work
I have a background in secretarial work.
She had done clerical work before she married.
legal work (=work done by lawyers)
He will handle all the legal work.
manual work (=work done with your hands)
Most of them were employed in manual work.
voluntary work British English, volunteer work American English (=a job you are not paid for)
She also did voluntary work in a girls’ club.
sb’s daily work (=the work someone does every day)
When they finished their daily work they would be too tired for much except rest.
sb’s line of work (=type of work)
I meet lots of interesting people in my line of work.
the work environment
It is important to have a pleasant work environment.
work practices
She supported me enthusiastically in bringing in new work practices.
carry out work
The work should be carried out without further delay.
do work
He was doing some work on his father’s car.
set to/get to/get down to work (=start work)
They set to work cutting down trees and brushwood.
undertake work
About a three adults in ten undertake voluntary work.
work starts/begins
Work had already started on the bridge when the error was spotted.
work continues
Work is continuing on three major building projects.
hard
It’s been very hard work, but I’ve loved every moment of it.
backbreaking (=very tiring)
Clearing the garden was slow, backbreaking work.
arduous (=needing a lot of effort)
This was physically arduous work.
heavy work (=hard physical work)
The heavy work is done by the gardener.
light work (=work that is not physically hard)
He had been ill, but she found him some light work to do.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

work
I.
noun
1.
BAD: Without a full-time work, some people think it's not worth living.
GOOD: Without a full-time job, some people think it's not worthliving.
GOOD: Without full-time work, some people think it's not worth living.
BAD: I've come to England to do a research work in civil engineering.
GOOD: I've come to England to do research work in civil engineering.

Usage Note:
JOB · DO · OCCUPATION · POST/POSITION · CAREER · TRADE · PROFESSION
Job Your job is what you do to earn your living: ‘You’ll never get a job if you don’t have any qualifications.’ ‘She’d like to change her job but can’t find anything better.’ Your job is also the particular type of work that you do: ‘John’s new job sounds really interesting.’ ‘I know she works for the BBC but I’m not sure what job she does.’
A job may be full-time or part-time (NOT half-time or half-day ): ‘All she could get was a part-time job at a petrol station.’
Do (for a living) When you want to know about the type of work that someone does, the usual questions are What do you do? What does she do for a living? etc ‘What does your father do?’ - ‘He’s a police inspector.’
Occupation and job have similar meanings. However, occupation is far less common than job and is used mainly in formal and official styles: ‘Please give brief details of your employment history and present occupation.’ ‘People in manual occupations seem to suffer less from stress.’
Post/position The particular job that you have in a company or organization is your post or position : ‘She’s been appointed to the post of deputy principal.’ ‘He’s applied for the position of sales manager.’ Post and position are used mainly in formal styles and often refer to jobs which have a lot of responsibility.
Career Your career is your working life, or the series of jobs that you have during your working life: ‘The scandal brought his career in politics to a sudden end.’ ‘Later on in his career, he became first secretary at the British Embassy in Washington.’
Your career is also the particular kind of work for which you are trained and that you intend to do for a long time: ‘I wanted to find out more about careers in publishing.’
Trade A trade is a type of work in which you do or make things with your hands: ‘Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry or printing.’ ‘My grandfather was a bricklayer by trade.’
Profession A profession is a type of work such as medicine, teaching, or law which requires a high level of training or education: ‘Until recently, medicine has been a male-dominated profession.’ ‘She entered the teaching profession in 1987.’

---

2.
BAD: I got up and got ready to go to my work.
GOOD: I got up and got ready to go to work.

Usage Note:
JOB · DO · OCCUPATION · POST/POSITION · CAREER · TRADE · PROFESSION
Job Your job is what you do to earn your living: ‘You’ll never get a job if you don’t have any qualifications.’ ‘She’d like to change her job but can’t find anything better.’ Your job is also the particular type of work that you do: ‘John’s new job sounds really interesting.’ ‘I know she works for the BBC but I’m not sure what job she does.’
A job may be full-time or part-time (NOT half-time or half-day ): ‘All she could get was a part-time job at a petrol station.’
Do (for a living) When you want to know about the type of work that someone does, the usual questions are What do you do? What does she do for a living? etc ‘What does your father do?’ - ‘He’s a police inspector.’
Occupation and job have similar meanings. However, occupation is far less common than job and is used mainly in formal and official styles: ‘Please give brief details of your employment history and present occupation.’ ‘People in manual occupations seem to suffer less from stress.’
Post/position The particular job that you have in a company or organization is your post or position : ‘She’s been appointed to the post of deputy principal.’ ‘He’s applied for the position of sales manager.’ Post and position are used mainly in formal styles and often refer to jobs which have a lot of responsibility.
Career Your career is your working life, or the series of jobs that you have during your working life: ‘The scandal brought his career in politics to a sudden end.’ ‘Later on in his career, he became first secretary at the British Embassy in Washington.’
Your career is also the particular kind of work for which you are trained and that you intend to do for a long time: ‘I wanted to find out more about careers in publishing.’
Trade A trade is a type of work in which you do or make things with your hands: ‘Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry or printing.’ ‘My grandfather was a bricklayer by trade.’
Profession A profession is a type of work such as medicine, teaching, or law which requires a high level of training or education: ‘Until recently, medicine has been a male-dominated profession.’ ‘She entered the teaching profession in 1987.’

---

3.
BAD: These days a lot of women go to work outside.
GOOD: These days a lot of women go out to work.
BAD: My wife goes to work outside the house.
GOOD: My wife goes out to work.

Usage Note:
JOB · DO · OCCUPATION · POST/POSITION · CAREER · TRADE · PROFESSION
Job Your job is what you do to earn your living: ‘You’ll never get a job if you don’t have any qualifications.’ ‘She’d like to change her job but can’t find anything better.’ Your job is also the particular type of work that you do: ‘John’s new job sounds really interesting.’ ‘I know she works for the BBC but I’m not sure what job she does.’
A job may be full-time or part-time (NOT half-time or half-day ): ‘All she could get was a part-time job at a petrol station.’
Do (for a living) When you want to know about the type of work that someone does, the usual questions are What do you do? What does she do for a living? etc ‘What does your father do?’ - ‘He’s a police inspector.’
Occupation and job have similar meanings. However, occupation is far less common than job and is used mainly in formal and official styles: ‘Please give brief details of your employment history and present occupation.’ ‘People in manual occupations seem to suffer less from stress.’
Post/position The particular job that you have in a company or organization is your post or position : ‘She’s been appointed to the post of deputy principal.’ ‘He’s applied for the position of sales manager.’ Post and position are used mainly in formal styles and often refer to jobs which have a lot of responsibility.
Career Your career is your working life, or the series of jobs that you have during your working life: ‘The scandal brought his career in politics to a sudden end.’ ‘Later on in his career, he became first secretary at the British Embassy in Washington.’
Your career is also the particular kind of work for which you are trained and that you intend to do for a long time: ‘I wanted to find out more about careers in publishing.’
Trade A trade is a type of work in which you do or make things with your hands: ‘Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry or printing.’ ‘My grandfather was a bricklayer by trade.’
Profession A profession is a type of work such as medicine, teaching, or law which requires a high level of training or education: ‘Until recently, medicine has been a male-dominated profession.’ ‘She entered the teaching profession in 1987.’

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

work
II.
verb
BAD: I would like to work at an international organization.
GOOD: I would like to work for an international organization.
BAD: My mother works in a large insurance company.
GOOD: My mother works for a large insurance company.

Usage Note:
JOB · DO · OCCUPATION · POST/POSITION · CAREER · TRADE · PROFESSION
Job Your job is what you do to earn your living: ‘You’ll never get a job if you don’t have any qualifications.’ ‘She’d like to change her job but can’t find anything better.’ Your job is also the particular type of work that you do: ‘John’s new job sounds really interesting.’ ‘I know she works for the BBC but I’m not sure what job she does.’
A job may be full-time or part-time (NOT half-time or half-day ): ‘All she could get was a part-time job at a petrol station.’
Do (for a living) When you want to know about the type of work that someone does, the usual questions are What do you do? What does she do for a living? etc ‘What does your father do?’ - ‘He’s a police inspector.’
Occupation and job have similar meanings. However, occupation is far less common than job and is used mainly in formal and official styles: ‘Please give brief details of your employment history and present occupation.’ ‘People in manual occupations seem to suffer less from stress.’
Post/position The particular job that you have in a company or organization is your post or position : ‘She’s been appointed to the post of deputy principal.’ ‘He’s applied for the position of sales manager.’ Post and position are used mainly in formal styles and often refer to jobs which have a lot of responsibility.
Career Your career is your working life, or the series of jobs that you have during your working life: ‘The scandal brought his career in politics to a sudden end.’ ‘Later on in his career, he became first secretary at the British Embassy in Washington.’
Your career is also the particular kind of work for which you are trained and that you intend to do for a long time: ‘I wanted to find out more about careers in publishing.’
Trade A trade is a type of work in which you do or make things with your hands: ‘Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry or printing.’ ‘My grandfather was a bricklayer by trade.’
Profession A profession is a type of work such as medicine, teaching, or law which requires a high level of training or education: ‘Until recently, medicine has been a male-dominated profession.’ ‘She entered the teaching profession in 1987.’

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

job noun [countable] the regular paid work that you do for an employer:
a full-time job
John got a job in a car factory.
work noun [uncountable] activities that you are paid for doing – used either when you work for an employer or when you work in your own business:
I started work when I was 18.
He graduated from college last year and is still looking for work.
profession noun [countable] a job for which you need special education and training:
There are now a lot more women in the legal profession.
Many teachers are leaving the profession.
occupation noun [countable] formal a job, or a type of job – often used on official documents:
Please give your name, age, and occupation.
a traditionally male occupation
career noun [countable] the work you do or plan to do for most of your life:
I’m interested in a career in journalism.
position noun [countable] formal a particular job within an organization:
I am writing to apply for the position of technical assistant.
We regret that the position has already been filled.
Please state the position which you are applying for.
post noun [countable] formal a job, especially an important one in a large organization:
She has held the post of managing director for two years.
He applied for the post of Senior Manager.
vacancy/opening noun [countable] a job that is available for someone to do:
The hospital has been unable to fill the vacancy.
There are very few openings in scientific research.
appointment noun [countable] an important job which someone is asked to do:
He took an appointment as US trade ambassador in Geneva.
posting noun [countable] a situation in which someone is sent somewhere to do a job for a period of time by the organization they work for:
This was his first posting outside the UK.
an overseas posting
His next posting took him to the Ministry of Defence.
trade noun [countable] a job that involves using your hands, and for which you need special training:
Most of the men had worked in skilled trades such as carpentry and printing.
employment noun [uncountable] the fact of having a job:
The factory will provide employment for local people.
She was offered employment in the sales office.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

music the sounds made by musical instruments or people singing:
The music was really loud.
tune the main series of musical notes in a piece of music:
a folk song with a pretty tune
melody the main series of notes in a piece of music that has many notes being played at the same time, especially in classical music:
The soprano sang the melody.
harmony the chords or notes in a piece of music that support the melody:
the rich harmonies in the symphony
piece (also piece of music) an arrangement of musical notes – use this about music without words:
It’s a difficult piece to play.
composition formal a piece of music that someone has written:
This is one of his own compositions.
work a piece of music, especially classical music:
one of Mozart’s best-known works
track one of the songs or pieces of music on a CD:
the album’s title track
number a piece of popular music that forms part of a concert or show:
the show’s first number

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

research noun [uncountable] careful detailed work that is done in order to find out more about a subject, especially as a part of a scientific or academic project:
Billions of dollars have been spent on research into the causes and treatment of cancer.
The University has for a long time been a leading centre for research in this field.
work noun [uncountable] the studies that have been done on a particular subject:
Faraday is famous for his work on electricity.
A lot of work has been done on hydrogen-powered cars.
Their work had an enormous influence on the study of genetics.
study noun [countable] a piece of work in which someone examines a particular subject in order to find out more about it, and writes about what they have found:
The study showed that 25 percent of adults do not eat breakfast at all, compared with 14 percent in 1961.
Recent studies suggest that our sense of smell is closely linked with the part of the brain that deals with memory.
experiment noun [countable] a scientific test in order to find out what happens when you do something:
They carried out a series of experiments (=they did a series of experiments) in order to try to prove their theory.
Experiments have shown that there is an increased risk of some forms of cancer.
take verb [transitive] to study a subject that you have chosen at school, college etc:
What classes are you taking next semester?
In my final year, I decided to take English and economics.
do verb [transitive] British English informal to study a particular subject at school or university:
I can’t decide whether to do German or Spanish next year.
Did you do computing at school?
major in something phrasal verb American English to study something as your main subject at a college or university:
Diane majored in psychology at the University of Washington.
revise verb [intransitive] British English to study to prepare for an examination:
It’s best to start revising early.
He’s revising for his final exams.
cram verb [intransitive] informal to study very hard and try to learn a lot of information just before an examination:
Everyone’s cramming for their final exams.
do research to study something in a very detailed way, especially in order to discover new information about it:
He does research at Oxford University.
I’m doing research into second language learning.
It’s difficult to do research on humans.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

work
wə:k
{v. phr.} To start being serious; begin to face a problem to be solved, or a task to be accomplished.
Gentlemen, I'm afraid the party is over and we must get down to business.

See: ALL IN A DAY'S WORK, ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY, AT WORK, BUSY WORK, IN THE WORKS, MAKE SHORT WORK OF, MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK, SHOOT THE WORKS, THE WORKS, IN THE WORKS.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲