work

noun  

 

 

JOB/TASK
1. uncountable the job that a person does especially in order to earn money
Syn:  employment
• She had been out of work (= without a job) for a year.
• (BrE) They are in work (= have a job).
• He started work as a security guard.
• It is difficult to find work in the present economic climate.
• I'm still looking for work.
• She's planning to return to work once the children start school.
• What line of work are you in (= what type of work do you do)?
• before/after work (= in the morning/evening each day)

• full-time/part-time/unpaid/voluntary work

2. uncountable the duties that you have and the activities that you do as part of your job
• Police work is mainly routine.
• The accountant described his work to the sales staff.

see also  piecework, social work

3. uncountable tasks that need to be done
• There is plenty of work to be done in the garden.
• Taking care of a baby is hard work.
• I have some work for you to do.
• Stop talking and get on with your work.

see also  homework, schoolwork

4. uncountable materials needed or used for doing work, especially books, papers, etc
• She often brings work (= for example, files and documents) home with her from the office.
• His work was spread all over the floor.

see also  paperwork  

 

 

PLACE OF JOB

5. uncountable (used without the) the place where you do your job
• I go to work at 8 o'clock.
• When do you leave for work?
• The new legislation concerns health and safety at work.
• I have to leave work early today.

• Her friends from work came to see her in the hospital.  

 

 

EFFORT

6. uncountable the use of physical strength or mental power in order to do or make sth
• She earned her grades through sheer hard work.
• We started work on the project in 2009.
• Work continues on renovating the hotel.
• The work of building the bridge took six months.
• The art collection was his life's work.
• She set them to work painting the fence.
• They performed pioneering work on the treatment of cancer.

see also  donkey work, fieldwork  

 

 

PRODUCT OF WORK

7. uncountable a thing or things that are produced as a result of work
• She's an artist whose work I really admire.
• Is this all your own work (= did you do it without help from others)?

• The book is a detailed and thorough piece of work covering all aspects of the subject.  

 

 

RESULT OF ACTION

8. uncountable the result of an action; what is done by sb

• The damage is clearly the work of vandals.  

 

 

BOOK/MUSIC/ART

9. countable a book, piece of music, painting, etc
• the collected/complete works of Tolstoy
• works of fiction/literature
• Beethoven's piano works
• He recognized the sketch as an early work by Degas.
compare  opus 

see also  work of art  

 

 

BUILDING/REPAIRING

10. works plural (often in compounds) activities involving building or repairing sth
• roadworks
• They expanded the shipyards and started engineering works.
• A contract can ensure that landlords carry out the works for which they are legally responsible.

see also  public works  

 

 

FACTORY

11. works(pl. works) countable + singular or plural verb (often in compounds) a place where things are made or industrial processes take place
• an engineering works
• a brickworks

• Raw materials were carried to the works by barge.  

 

 

PARTS OF MACHINE

12. the works plural the moving parts of a machine, etc.

Syn:  mechanism  

 

 

EVERYTHING

13. the works plural (informal) everything

• We went to the chip shop and had the works: fish, chips, gherkins, mushy peas.  

 

 

PHYSICS

14. uncountable the use of force to produce movement
see also  joule 
more at all in a day's work at  day, the devil makes work for idle hands at  devil, (do sb's) dirty work at  dirty  _adj., many hands make light work at  hand  _n., make hard work of sthtoo much like hard work at  hard  _adj., a job of work at  job, make light work of sth at  light  _adj., a nasty piece of work at  nasty, nice worknice work if you can get it at  nice, shoot the works at  shoot  _v., make short work of sb/sth at  short  _adj., (throw) a spanner in the works at  spanner  
Word Origin:
Old English weorc (noun), wyrcan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch werk and German Werk, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek ergon.  
Collocations:
Jobs
Getting a job
look for work
look for/apply for/go for a job
get/pick up/complete/fill out/ (BrE) fill in an application (form)
send/email your (BrE) CV/(NAmE) résumé/application/application form/covering letter
be called for/have/attend an interview
offer sb a job/work/employment/promotion
find/get/land a job
employ/ (especially NAmE) hire/recruit/ (especially BrE) take on staff/workers/trainees
recruit/appoint a manager
Doing a job
arrive at/get to/leave work/the office/the factory
start/finish work/your shift
do/put in/work overtime
have/gain/get/lack/need experience/qualifications
do/get/have/receive training
learn/pick up/improve/develop (your) skills
cope with/manage/share/spread the workload
improve your/achieve a better work-life balance
have (no) job satisfaction/job security
Building a career
have a job/work/a career/a vocation
find/follow/pursue/ (especially NAmE) live (out) your vocation
enter/go into/join a profession
choose/embark on/start/begin/pursue a career
change jobs/profession/career
be/ (both especially BrE) work/go freelance
do/take on temp work/freelance work
do/be engaged in/be involved in voluntary work
Leaving your job
leave/ (especially NAmE) quit/resign from your job
give up work/your job/your career
hand in your notice/resignation
plan to/be due to retire in June/next year, etc.
take early retirement 
Collocations:
Unemployment
Losing your job
lose your job
(BrE) become/be made redundant
be offered/take voluntary redundancy/early retirement
face/be threatened with dismissal/(BrE) the sack/(BrE) compulsory redundancy
dismiss/fire/ (especially BrE) sack an employee/a worker/a manager
lay off staff/workers/employees
(AustralE, NZE, SAfrE) retrench workers
cut/reduce/downsize/slash the workforce
(BrE) make staff/workers/employees redundant
Being unemployed
be unemployed/out of work/out of a job
seek/look for work/employment
be on/collect/draw/get/receive (both BrE) unemployment benefit/jobseeker's allowance
be/go/live/sign (BrE, informal) on the dole
claim/draw/get (BrE, informal) the dole
be on/qualify for (NAmE) unemployment (compensation)
be/go/live/depend (NAmE) on welfare
collect/receive (NAmE) welfare
combat/tackle/cut/reduce unemployment 
Synonyms:
factory
plant • mill • works • yard • workshop • foundry
These are all words for buildings or places where things are made or where industrial processes take place.
factory • a building or group of buildings where goods are made: ▪ a chocolate/cigarette/clothing factory
plant • a factory or place where power is produced or an industrial process takes place: ▪ a nuclear power plant ◊ ▪ a manufacturing plant
mill • a factory that produces a particular type of material: ▪ a cotton/paper/textile/woollen mill
works • (often in compounds) a place where things are made or an industrial process takes place: ▪ a brickworks ◊ ▪ a steelworks ◊ ▪ Raw materials were carried to the works by barge.
yard • (usually in compounds) an area of land used for building sth: ▪ a shipyard
workshop • a room or building in which things are made or repaired using tools or machinery: ▪ a car repair workshop
foundry • a factory where metal or glass is melted and made into different shapes or objects: ▪ an iron foundry
a car/chemical/munitions factory/plant
an engineering plant/works
to manage/run a factory/plant/mill/works/yard/workshop/foundry
to work in/at a factory/plant/mill/yard/workshop/foundry
factory/mill/foundry owners/managers/workers  
Synonyms:
work
employment • career • profession • occupation • trade
These are all words for the work that sb does in return for payment, especially over a long period of time.
work • the job that sb does, especially in order to earn money: ▪ It's very difficult to find work at the moment.
employment • (rather formal) work, especially when it is done to earn money; the state of being employed or the situation in which people have work: ▪ Only half the people here are in paid employment.
career • the job or series of jobs that sb has in a particular area of work, usually involving more responsibility as time passes: ▪ He had a very distinguished career in the Foreign Office.
profession • a type of job that needs special training or skill, especially one that needs a high level of education: ▪ He hopes to enter the medical profession.
The profession is all the people who work in a particular profession: ▪ the legal profession. The professions are the traditional jobs that need a high level of education and training, such as being a doctor or lawyer.
occupation • (rather formal) a job or profession: ▪ Please state your name, age, and occupation.
trade • a job, especially one that involves working with your hands and requires special training and skills: ▪ Carpentry is a highly skilled trade.
in/out of work/employment
(a) full-time/part-time work/employment/career/occupation
permanent/temporary work/employment
(a) well-paid work/employment/profession/occupation
(a) low-paid work/employment/occupation
to look for/seek/find work/employment/a career/an occupation
to get/obtain/give sb/offer sb/create/generate/provide work/employment 
Example Bank:
• ‘Where's Diane?’ ‘She's at work.’
• A contraflow is in operation at the works near Junction 5.
• A hundred grand for two days a week? Nice work if you can get it!
• A love of landscape informs all his work.
• All the construction work was carried out in 2001.
• All these visitors make a lot of work for me.
• Ambulance crews alternate between emergency and routine work.
• An independent report has described some work practices in the industry as old-fashioned.
• Beethoven composed his greatest works in the latter part of his life.
• Big football matches make a lot of work for the police.
• Children can learn good work habits at school.
• During the college vacations he does casual work in the local hospital.
• Employees must not make personal calls during work hours.
• Engine maintenance is dirty work.
• Full-time work is hard to find.
• He did pioneering work on microbes.
• He does mainly commissioned portrait works.
• He got laid off, so now he's looking for work again.
• He has done the grunt work= the hard, boring part of a task, sifting through thousands of official records.
• He has some freelance work at the moment.
• He hasn't been in regular work since he left school.
• He preferred to make his money from honest work rather than from gambling.
• He's been hard at work all morning.
• He's been out of work since the factory closed.
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering company.
• He's got a bit of freelance work at the moment.
• He's willing to do extra work to get the project finished on time.
• Her book is still considered the definitive work on beetles.
• Her boss told her she had to increase her work rate.
• Her job is to manage the company's work flow.
• Her latest novel is a work of genius.
• Her portfolio includes published works in several magazines.
• Her work appears at the Museum of Contemporary Art this summer.
• Her work can be seen in most of the major European galleries.
• Her work consists of drawing up and coordinating schedules.
• High income tax can undermine work incentives.
• His written work is the best in the class.
• How much will the work cost?
• How's the work going this morning?
• I did the donkey work but I hired a professional builder for the tricky bits.
• I did the donkey work= hard work requiring little skill but I hired a professional for the hard part.
• I go to work by bus.
• I had lots of work to do.
• I have to do some work on the car before it'll be ready.
• I met him through work.
• I need to wear glasses for close work.
• I really appreciate all your hard work.
• I think I'd better try and get some work done.
• I'm lucky— I love my work.
• I've got lots of work to do today.
• I've taken on more work than I have time to do.
• In accepting the award, she mentioned the sterling work of her assistants.
• Is this all your own work= did you do it without help from others?
• It doesn't require skill— it's a matter of sheer hard work.
• It was an interesting piece of work.
• It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.
• It's hard work trying to get him to do a few things for himself.
• It's important to be happy in your work.
• It's piece work, so how much you earn depends on how fast you can work.
• Just before he was sixty, he decided to give up work.
• Many unemployed people welcome the chance to do purposeful work, even if unpaid.
• Mike made short work of fixing the engine.
• Nice work, James! I'm impressed.
• Over the next two years, the company is putting on the complete works of Brecht.
• People are using file-sharing to steal copyrighted works.
• People went about their daily work despite the war.
• Picasso's mature works
• Pressure of work forced him to cancel his holiday.
• Sales reps meet up monthly to coordinate their work.
• Scotland's biggest water treatment works
• She has just returned to work after the birth of her child.
• She is now looking for paid work outside the home.
• She never does a stroke of work.
• She stops work at the end of this month.
• She's been off work with a bad back since July.
• She's done a lot of work with disadvantaged children.
• She's only allowed to do a little light work because of her bad arm.
• She's put in a lot of work on the design.
• She's studying the theme of death in the works of Beckett.
• Small children make a lot of work for their parents.
• Some mothers of young children choose not to go out to work.
• Stop talking and get down to work.
• That work can wait until tomorrow.
• The art collection was his life's work.
• The assistant manager supervises work on the factory floor.
• The building is hated by some and considered a work of art by others.
• The construction company has three work crews of five men each.
• The drugs gang used children to do their dirty work for them.
• The finished work will be on view in the city art gallery.
• The gallery is staging a special exhibition of Monet's early works.
• The hotel manager thanked the staff and told them to 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.
• The instructor's work load was becoming increasingly heavy.
• The new president spent the first year undoing the work of his predecessor.
• The opportunities will depend on your work experience.
• The poorly designed bridge needs remedial work to make it safe.
• The report is the joint work of an economist and a sociologist.
• The research institute needs funds in order to carry on its valuable work.
• The scandal was revealed after months of undercover work by journalists.
• The show is the product of two years' intensive work.
• The showroom has been designed so that people can see work in progress.
• The smell is believed to have originated from the sewage works.
• The town hall is exhibiting works by local artists.
• The work comes in bursts according to the time of year.
• The work represents a synthesis of the natural and the artificial.
• The works at Bury turned out thousands of television sets a week.
• The works will continue until the end of July.
• These paintings are more abstract than her previous work.
• They began work on the project last year.
• They began work on the project towards the end of the year.
• They discovered that his CV was a complete work of fiction.
• They employ a couple of young men to do the heavy work.
• They lost the work to a competitor.
• They think that caring for children is women's work.
• Through their tireless work, they proved his innocence.
• To carry out accurate market research requires a huge amount of work.
• We are planning to carry out major works on the site.
• We get far too much work at this time of year.
• We give grants to support the work of voluntary organizations.
• We had a party at work.
• We set to work on the outside of the house.
• We're going to have some building work done on the house.
• We're supposed to hand in this work tomorrow.
• What does the work involve?
• What time do you finish work?
• What time does work start in the morning?
• With so much unemployment, I'm lucky to be in work.
• Work came to a complete halt in the summer.
• Work came to a complete standstill when rumours of redundancies started to circulate.
• Work on the project was halted.
• Work produced on a computer tends to look more professional.
• Work surfaces should be left clear and clean.
• Work's going well at the moment.
• a work by an unknown 18th-century writer
• a work consisting of twelve small blank canvases
• a work entitled ‘Forward Pass’
• a work entitled ‘The Sacrifice’
• classroom activities involving collaborative work between children
• the collected works of Stephen King
• the night shift at the works
• ‘Where's John?’ ‘He's still at work.’
• All non-EU citizens need a work permit in order to get a job.
• Any kind of work with kids would suit him fine.
• Chopin's piano works
• He loves his work as a stage manager.
• He's been out of work for over a year.
• I go to work at 8 o'clock.
• I'm looking for any kind of construction work.
• It is a country where most women with young children are in paid work.

• It's very difficult to find work at the moment.

• Let's get to work.

• She earned her grades through sheer hard work.

• She's an artist whose work I really admire.

• She's been off work for three weeks.

• She's planning to return to work in September.

• State inspectors have cast doubt on claims of shoddy work on the new Bay Bridge.

• Students do work experience in local firms.

• The book is a detailed and thorough piece of work.

• The degree show gives students a chance to exhibit their work in central London.

• The film is based on an early work by Alan Moore.

• The new legislation concerns health and safety at work.

• We started work on the project in 2002.

• What kind of work experience do you have?

• What time do you knock off work tonight?

• When do you leave for work?

• Would you give up work if you won the lottery?

• works of fiction/literature